


Klance Week 2019

by AlyxRae



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Alice in Wonderland Fusion, Alternate Universe - To All the Boys I've Loved Before Fusion, Attempt at Humor, Character Study, Disney World & Disneyland, Domestic Fluff, Falling In Love, Fantasy, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, High School, I had no idea those were tags but now that i do i freaking love it, Keith is Laura Jean, Klance Week, Klance Week 2019, Knight Keith (Voltron), Lance is Peter, Light Angst, M/M, Prince Lance (Voltron), Realization, Reunions, i am weak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-03-29 08:51:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19016536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlyxRae/pseuds/AlyxRae
Summary: A collection of tales for Klance Week 2019.Full index (prompts, titles, summaries) in the first chapter :)





	1. Index

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to whatever this is :D  
> I was super interested in all the prompts for Klance Week, so I decided to take a stab at this little event. All of the stories have been finished, so they will be posted on time (for once lol). I had lots of fun with each of these, and was able to use some old ideas/works that I had lying around. That being said, some of the days are short, and one or two are very long so I hope that's okay lol.
> 
> I hope y'all like what I put together! This really helped with my writers block and now I feel so much better going back and tackling my ongoing stuff. Thanks and enjoy <3

INDEX

 

Chapter One: Pardon Our Pixie Dust

Prompt:  **Destiny/ “…you just _had_ to say that, didn’t you?”**

Summary: Keith is a three year Cast Member with the Walt Disney Company and is pretty much immune to feeling embarrassed or intimidated by any of the guests that passed through his attraction. That is until a very, _very_ cute boy comes through and turns him into a babbling fool. Keith thought that he was free from facing the cute boy ever again, until he finds out that the very same guy is a Cast Member just like him. 

 

Chapter Two: Te Amo y Más

Prompt: **Realization/ “Seriously? _Again_?”**

Summary: They say that when you fall in love it starts slowly, and then comes all at once. Lance discovers just how true this is.

 

Chapter Three: And you can hear my rally cry

Prompt:  **Victory/ ~~“First, let’s put down some rules…”~~**

Summary: After years of fighting, the war between kingdoms is finally over. Keith, a high ranking knight, is eager to return to the spark of happiness he found in the most incredible place. Prince Lance is eager as well, waiting impatiently for his stupidly heroic knight to finally come home. 

 

Chapter Four: Late Nights, Long Talks

Prompt:  **Cuddling/ ~~“Did you seriously just quote a _meme_?!”~~**

~~~~Summary: Lance and Keith find some quiet time together after a training mishap. The two talk, wondering just what everyone will say when they finally reveal that they're happily dating.

 

Chapter Five: To the boy I love now

Prompt:  **AU/ “Well, _that_ was unexpected.”**

Summary: Keith has written five letters over the course of his life. Five love letters that will never be sent, and Keith likes it that way. Sometimes he just feels the urge to write. To map out all his feelings in one go and then seal them away so that they'll never crowd his mind again. Keith's letters are among some of his most precious possessions. When they somehow find their way out into the world, Keith is left scrambling to try and find a way out of an embarrassing mess with some unlikely help from his schools most charming student, Lance McClain.

("To All The Boys I Loved Before" AU)

 

Chapter Six: I know what you need

Prompt: **Domestic/ “Did you just vocally keyboard smash?”**

Summary: Keith is tired. Lance is more then happy to take care of him for a while. 

 

Chapter Seven: "Life, what is it but a dream?"

Prompt:  **Free Day/ ~~“That sounds easier said than done…”~~**

Summary: When he went to sleep last night, Keith wasn't planning on walking into the most realistic dream he'd ever had. Not to mention, he never thought that his subconscious had such an obsession with "Alice in Wonderland". Keith really just wants to wake up, but a boy with electric blue eyes and the ability to change his shape at will won't seem to leave him alone. Not that Keith particularly minds. He _is_ kind of charming. 

 


	2. Pardon Our Pixie Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 1 – Destiny/ “…you just had to say that, didn’t you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a whole file on my flash drive just filled with ideas for this AU. It's just something that's always been in the back of my mind as kind of a way to share some of the crazy stuff I learned or saw during my internship with Disney. Never got around to actually writing much, but it's a fun little AU that I like to visit in my spare time :D
> 
> For a bit of reference, Keith is a attractions CM for New Orleans Square, with his home being at Haunted Mansion. Lance is a merchandise CM in east side stores, with his home being in the castle area. Allura works in entertainment as a dancer/parade performer but she recently got a part as one of the singing character in DCA. Shiro isn't a CM and neither is Hunk. 
> 
> I think that's it. Hope you enjoy! I always love having a chance to dive into my Disney love :D

Keith was going to die. Right there, before his shift even ended.

“…you just _had_ to say that, didn’t you? Couldn’t even think of a full sentence…” Keith hurried through the backstage area, avoiding any other Cast Members he came across. He shrugged off his jacket, half tempted to just let it fall into the nearest puddle. If he did that, his manager would probably send him straight over to costuming on the other side of the park to get another. Actually, that didn’t sound like a half bad plan.

Keith groaned. He literally only had an hour left on his shift. It’d be a waste going all the way to costuming, searching through the maze of racks for his size and then hurry back to finish up. He’d be standing in front of Mansion for maybe twenty minutes before it was time for him to clock out. There was no point, especially since the object of his embarrassment had already ridden his attraction and left. He was probably half way to Fantasyland already. Keith had no reason to keep sulking backstage.

None. Nope. Nada.

 

Keith loitered in the bathroom for a good fifteen minutes. His fellow Cast Members were probably thinking the weirdest things about him at that moment.  

The conversation (if he could call it that) kept playing in his mind on a loop.

**Cute Boy** : Man its warm today. Don’t you guys get hot in those jackets? 

**Keith** : Yes.

**Cute Boy** : Can’t you like, take them off? Or is does that ruin the ambiance?

**Keith** : Yes.

**Cute Boy** : Is that yes to the jacket thing or the ambiance thing?

**Keith** : Yes?

**Cute Boy** : Uh, okay…

**Keith** : …

**Cute Boy** : …

**Keith** : Please step into the dead center of the room.

Really, Keith was ready to join the 999 haunts at the mansion at this point. They were always looking for that 1000th ghost. Or something like that. Honestly, Keith had been hearing the same music and narration for years at this point and he still didn’t have it memorized. Whereas his brother, who didn't even work at the parks, had most of his favorite attraction narrations memorized in English and some in Spanish. It was weird. 

The good thing about working at Disneyland was that any embarrassing moment he had with a Guest was a one time thing. Even if the Cute Boy was an annual pass holder, the chances of running into him again were pretty slim. There were plenty of people working at Mansion on any given day. Not only that, but they rotated every two hours. There was no way Keith was going to see that guy again. No possible way that he could embarrass himself again.

Finally feeling a bit relived, Keith pulled on his jacket and straighten his tie. It was time to go back to work.

 

* * *

 

 “ _Hey Keith, your off tomorrow, right_?” Shiro asked, his voice crackling over the phone speaker. Keith glanced at the device where it sat on the kitchen counter. He was attempting to make dinner before his roommate came home and silently judged his cooking skills.

“Yeah…why?”

“ _Well, I was talking to Allura…_ ”

Keith set down the spatula. He already knew where this was going. “You want to go into the parks tomorrow, don’t you?”

“ _She’s starting a new show tomorrow and I want to see her_!”

“And you just want to abuse my Main Gate Pass.”

“ _That too. I mean, you don’t really use it otherwise. Not since that James kid tried to convince you to let him and his girlfriend into the parks for free_.”

Keith felt the familiar sting of annoyance at the memory. When he first started working for the mouse, people were crawling out of the woodwork to try and get Keith to use some of his discounts. His Facebook messages were flooded with people he hadn’t talked to in years trying to butter him up and pretend like they were still good friends. Even people Keith knew from elementary school were reaching out to him. It was a pain.

Still, the free passes Keith got for his friends and family largely went unused. Partially because of his limited group of friend and family, but also out of sheer spite towards the people who didn’t bother trying to be his friend before he started working at Disney.

Shiro was the one who used Keith’s discounts most often, but he only asked maybe twice a year, if that. Keith’s mom had gone to the parks with him a few times, but the atmosphere was a little overwhelming to her. She was never one for crowds.

The only other person Keith would even think about using his discounts for was his roommate, Lotor. The two of them met years ago, during the Disney College Program where they were roommates. They lived with three other guys who were a little too into the party scene in the College Program apartment they lived in. Keith and Lotor bonded over sarcasm and double stuffed Oreos’.

Lotor didn’t stay with the company like Keith did. Apparently the only reason he did the internship was for the experience. And also, the networking. It was just a simple matter of being professional and asking the right questions for a whole new world to open up on the professional level. Lotor was able to get a pretty good job right after the program, thanks to people he impressed during his internship. The two of them decided to keep living together mainly out of convenience. Anaheim could be ridiculously expensive if they tried living on their own and the two of them were already used to living together. It just made sense.  

Keith and Lotor had probably been to the parks together twice since rooming together, and Keith had been with the company for three years.

Shiro might have a point about his passes going to waste.

“So, if I get you into the park—“

“ _You mean when_.”

“Fine. When we go tomorrow, how long do we have to stay?”

“ _Well, I haven’t been in a while, so is it okay if we go all day? You don’t have to say yes, we can always skip out early…”_

“No, it’s fine.” Keith relented. “I mean it’s been a long time since we just, hung out there.”

“ _It has. Hey, remember when I came for that three day weekend? Man…I was so tired I slept for a like a week after that_.”

Keith smiled. “Yeah, lucky you. I had to go back to work the next day. Fucking nine hour turn arounds are the bane of my existence.”

“ _But hey, you’re friend got us on Peter Pan without having to wait in line. That was pretty sweet_.”

“Yeah. Honestly I haven’t ridden it since. The line is always so long.”

Shiro laughed. “ _That doesn’t surprise me_. _If it doesn’t have a Fast Pass, if doesn’t exists to you_.”

“Well, you’re not wrong.”

Keith and Shiro planned a time and place to meet up. Bright and early at nine A.M, in the promenade between the two theme parks. Keith was already regretting saying yes.

 

* * *

 

“It’s too damn early for this.” Keith grumbled. A middle aged woman with a wide stroller glared at him as she passed. Keith was long passed worrying what people might think of him, tiredly strolling up to Disneyland in combat boots and an all-black wardrobe.

If the woman was paying attention, she would have realized that his AD/DC shirt was actually a Hercules parody. The word HERC replaced the classic AD/DC logo and instead of ‘Highway to Hell’, it said ‘Highway to Hades’. Keith may not be the biggest Disnerd, but he did like his job. And the creativity it inspired in others.

“Hey, Keith!” Shiro’s voice actually made Keith flinch. Everything else around them was so quiet, and then there was Shiro. Twenty-six years old and still louder and more excited than any kid in the area. This was going to be a long day.

“Shiro. I see you remembered to where your ears for today.” Keith glanced up to the black ear hat perched on Shiro’s head.

“I had to dress for the occasion. It’s not like I can wear these anywhere else.” Shiro grinned. “I like your shirt. Subtle.”

“Thanks. So, which park first?”

“Well, Allura’s first show isn’t until 2:30, so we have plenty of time for rides.”

Keith groaned. “I could have slept for another hour, Shiro.”

“Yeah, but I want to make sure that we get on the Incredicoaster and Guardians of the Galaxy. Oh! And I want to get on Matterhorn and Indy. What should we do first?”

“As long as we coffee first, I don’t care.”

Shiro laughed. “Alright, Grumpy. Let’s get you some caffeine. I’ll pay.”

Shiro and Keith started their day in California Adventure. The line inside of Starbucks was already packed with adults in a similar state of drowsiness. Still, the barista’s kept the line moving and Keith was grateful to have his hands on a steaming cup of coffee in a matter of minutes. Even if it was water down Starbucks coffee, any bit of caffeine helped. 

Keith let his brother lead the way, listening to his excited chatter as they made their way through Buena Vista Street and to Hollywood Land. They stopped in a few stores along the way, with Shiro grabbing a magnet for his collection back home.

Keith downed his coffee as Shiro lead him to Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout. He was still bitter that the ride had been re-themed from Tower of Terror. Before the change happened, Keith was ready to put in a transfer from Mansion to Tower. It was widely known throughout all the attractions Cast Members that working Tower of Terror was one of the best locations on property. Unlike the other rides, CM’s weren’t expected to be all smiley and sweet. Mangers actually encouraged blank faces and minimal words. It added to the ghostly experience.

Ever since the change, Keith had silently been cursing whoever came up with the idea. Sure, he liked working Haunted Mansion. He was still able to avoid smiling twenty four seven and the costume was comfortable. However, since he worked in New Orleans Square, he would occasionally have to work the other attraction there, Pirates of the Caribbean. That costume could burn for all he cared.

Guardians of the Galaxy was basically the same experience as its predecessor, albeit with an awesome soundtrack blasting in the background. Keith managed to keep his face completely straight for the picture while Shiro was smiling widely with his arms straight up in the air.  

From there Keith followed his brother to Carsland and Pixar Pier, picking up churro’s along the way for a snack. They waited a short while for the newly re-imagined Incredicoaster (a change that Keith actually approved of) and whooped and laughed as the coaster shot them off to the first lift hill. Shiro made the same excited face in the picture as he did earlier.

“I know they didn’t change much, but that was so good!” Shiro babbled. He was trying to pin his ear hat back on after taking it off for the ride. Keith held a few black bobby pins in his hand for his brother to use, since the elastic on his hat had long ago snapped.

“I think it’s the music.” Keith commented. “There’s something about hearing the Incredibles theme blasting in your ear while you’re going forty miles per hour.”

“True, true.”

“Well, looks like we still have some time to kill before Allura’s show. What should we do?”

“Well…”

Keith knew that look. “We’re not going on the Little Mermaid ride.”

“I wasn’t going to say that.”

“We’re not going on Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train either.”  

“But Bugs Land is going to close soon! I have to go on that ride before it’s gone forever.”

“I don’t even know why you like it. You just go around in a circle and pass by giant food.”

“But it smells like the food.”

“It’s more fun when you’re drunk.”

Shiro paused. “Please don’t tell me you’ve gotten drunk as Disneyland, Keith.”

“First off, it wasn’t Disneyland, it was here. Second, I can’t help it that they’re heavy handed with their alcohol and that I’m a bit of a lightweight. Third, don’t tell me what to do.”

“What am I going to do with you?” Shiro sighed. Keith just shrugged.

 After grabbing lunch, Keith and Shiro made their way back to Buena Vista Street to catch Allura’s show. Right on time, an old fashion red car turned the corner and began heading down the street in Hollywood Land. The car was pack with musicians and instruments, all in colorful 20’s costumes and playing a jaunty tune. A little sign on the side of the car had the band’s name, Five & Dime. Standing in the back seat and singing into a microphone was Allura as the title character, Dime.

Her dark skin contrasted beautifully with the glittering fuchsia flapper dress she wore. Silky black gloves were pulled up to her elbows and her usually brilliant platinum hair was instead a curly dark brown that bounced on her shoulders.

Keith couldn’t help the wide grin that ate up his face. He had seen this little show in passing before, but it was a different experience all together seeing his friend as the main singer.

The car pulled to a stop on Buena Vista Street, a small crowd already gathering to see what the musician’s had in store.

As she was stepping out of the car, Allura made eye contact with Keith and Shiro. Her smile grew wider and she winked in their direction.

The band played a few songs, dancing and singing catchy tunes from the 20’s and 30’s. 

In the middle of the show, Allura and the guitarist each pulled a guest in to dance with them. Keith’s eyes widened when he saw Allura heading their way with a white feathered boa.  He ducked behind his brother and pushed Shiro forward to be captured by the boa. Allura laughed, still in character, and wrapped the boa around Shiro’s shoulders as she pulled him out to dance.

Keith made sure to take plenty of pictures.

After the dance, the band played one more song before loading up in their car and driving away. Allura made sure to blow a kiss towards the brothers.

“She was so good!” Shiro smiled. “I’m glad she finally got a singing role. She was always so scared to audition.”

“Yeah. I remember seeing the casting call backstage. I kept bugging about it for days.” Keith added. His phone buzzed as they made it to the front gates.

Allura: _It was so good to see the both you! Thanks for coming to see my debut <3_

Allura: _Tell Shiro I said thank you as well!_

Keith grinned.

Keith: _You did great. I told you going to that audition would be good._

Keith: _Shiro says you were amazing._

Keith: _Also I took plenty of pics of you two dancing_. _Shiro looks like a giant toddler._

Allura: _lololololol_

Allura: _Wonderful. I’ll be expecting those in the next few days ;D_

Keith smiled again, showing his brother the messages. Shiro pulled Keith into a headlock moments later.

 

* * *

 

The day was passing quickly, filled with food and rides and plenty of smiles. Even though he was reluctant to come to the parks, it was a good time of the year to visit. The first few months of the year were more tame compared to the summer and fall. The early February weather was a blessing and the breeze carried with it bubbles from a toddler playing with a toy and the sweet scent of sugar.

Keith may not be the biggest Disney person, but he knew what this place meant to people. He knew that it was magical to many. And sometimes, he could swear that he felt it too.

Shiro and Keith were wondering through Fantasyland, fresh off a trip in the caverns of the Matterhorn Mountain. Looking for something a little less bumpy, they tried to figure out which classic ride to do next.

“Peter Pan is out.” Keith said immediately.

“Wait, really?”

“The line is thirty minutes long.”

“So?”

“The ride is less than five.”

“…yeah that’s not really worth it.”

“Told you.”

“How about Snow White?”

“I could be down for that. Or Mr. Toads. Or hey we could—oh _shit_.” Keith ducked towards the nearest bush, nearly colliding with a child in a princess dress. His heart was pounding in his chest as the overwhelming embarrassment from yesterday come flooding back to the front of his mind. “What the fuck…what the _fuck_. Why is he here? Why does the world hate me…?”

It took a moment for Shiro to realize that his brother had basically dived into a bush. He slowly made his way over to Keith, glancing around to try and find the cause of such odd behavior.

“Uh, Keith? What going on buddy?” Shiro asked.

“N-nothing. Nothing at all. Hey, why don’t we go on Pinocchio? We can hop over to Frontierland using that path back there afterwards.”

“Sure? We can do that. Um, one question first.”

“What?”

“What are you hiding in a bush?”

Keith blinked. He glanced down to the neatly trimmed bush that he had basically destroyed in a manner of seconds. Keith scrambled to get to his feet, brushing off bits of leaves and twigs.

“You okay?” Shiro asked, his brows tilted in concern.

“Yeah. I’m fine. Let’s uh, let’s go.” Keith glanced back one more time, just to make sure.

In the courtyard of the castle, right in between the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and Sleeping Beauty’s Castle Walkthrough, there was a cart loaded up with souvenirs for Guests to buy. The Cast Member at that cart had a very familiar pair of sea-blue eyes and a smile that was more dazzling then any Disney Princess.

It was the guy from yesterday. The cute boy that Keith embarrassed himself in front of while he was at work. Keith had no idea that the cute boy was a Cast Member. At that moment, Keith was genuinely considering running back to the Matterhorn and climbing to the top. Surely he could hide out there for a couple months while he waited for the cute boy to forget about him. It was a solid plan.

Keith was ready to turn around and retreat when he realized that he was staring. Not only that, but Shiro, his evil, _evil_ brother, noticed.

“Oh…” Shiro grinned. “Do you know him?”

“What? Who? I don’t— I don’t know anyone.” Keith blinked, his eyes darting to the cute boy once more. He couldn’t help but think that the dark blue Fantasyland vest looked great on him. Not everyone could pull off their costumes so flawlessly. Keith always felt like he looked like a kid who ransacked a costume shop in his green coat and stiff shirt. Cute Boy looked perfectly natural in his costume. Every piece fit him perfectly, like he really was a residence of a fairy tale town.

Keith was staring again.

“Let’s head over there.” Shiro looped his arm around Keith’s shoulders and began to walk.

“Shiro! No I— didn’t you want to go ride Thunder Mountain? I think my friend is working today, she could totally get us on…”

“We’ll head over there afterwards. I want to see what they’re selling.”

“It’s the same damn stuff you’ve seen all day. Now can we please just—“

“Hey, it’s Haunted Mansion boy!” A new voice made Keith jump. He turned slowly, his eyes growing wide as he realizes that he was standing right in front of Cute Boy. On instinct, Keith looked down at the name tag pinned to the boy’s chest. _Lance._ _His name is Lance._

“Um…hi?” Keith voice decided to retreat back down his throat, making it him sound like he had a mouth full of water. Lance didn’t seem to notice.

“Fancy seeing you here. Do you come into the parks often?”

Keith blinked. He knew Lance just asked him a question, but just like the day before, he couldn’t seem to think of anything to say. As if sensing Keith’s temporary muteness, Shiro answered for him.

“Actually, I dragged him here today. I evoked my older brother rights and got him to come with me on his day off.”

Lance smiled. “Nice. I swear, everyone in my family is trying to do the same thing. I’ve only been here a month but my family is already planning on a big vacation so that they can use my pass.”

“That sounds nice. Don’t you think so, Keith?” Shiro practically threw the conversation back at him. Keith panicked for a moment, nodding his head and stuttering out a reply.

“Uh, y-yeah. That’s, really nice.”

“Thanks man.” Lance grinned. “My little niece and nephew are so excited. They’ve never been before so it’s going to be so much fun. I’m totally winning the best uncle title.”

Keith chuckled at the earnest expression on Lance’s face. “I bet. Working at Disneyland kind of blows the other competition out of the water.”

“Oh, definitely. I’m trying to get in with the princess too. Just to up my game even more, y’know? You wouldn’t happen to know any of them, would you?”

“Sorry, can’t help you there.”

“Dang. One day. I have to make sure that I blow my little niece’s mind when she comes. She is obsessed with all things princess right now.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you work in Fantasyland.” Keith gestured to the area around them. Everywhere you looked there was an image of a princess or a little girl skipping along in a sparkly dress. “I heard this is a hard land to get into.”

“That’s whatever one tells me.” Lance agreed. “It’s weird though, everyone makes it sound like I won the lottery or something. Eh, I don’t mind it though. I was just happy to land this job. Hey, how long have you worked here?”

“A little over three years.”

“Whoa, really? Dude you must love it here. Have you worked at Haunted Mansion the whole time?”

Keith tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear as he spoke. “Yeah, I’ve been at Mansion since day one. It was always my favorite ride and I just like the people over there. And well, it’s one place where you don’t have to smile all the time which works for me. My brother says I have resting bitch face.”

Lance’s laugh echoed off the castle walls. “I don’t know if I would call it that, but you were definitely in character when I saw you. You kind of fit the vibe over there.”

Keith hadn’t noticed that Shiro walked away long ago. He didn’t realize that he was actually holding a conversation with the cute boy he embarrassed himself in front of just a day before. Things sort of just, worked. After his initial panic, Keith loosed up pretty quickly. Maybe it was Lance’s warm smile or the kindness in his sea blue eyes, but something eased Keith’s worry. Talking with Lance, standing next to him and smiling, it just felt… _good_.

“Ah, I should probably let you get back to your brother.” Lance glanced over Keith’s shoulder to where Shiro was leaning against the castle wall, scrolling through his phone.

“Oh uh, yeah. You kind of need to work, too.”

Lance nodded, shifting back on his heels. “So like, this is probably totally weird, but if I wasn’t working and surrounded by about a hundred cameras at this moment, I would totally ask for your number.”

A flood of warmth colored Keith’s cheeks. He could barely hear over the pounding in his ears. _He…he wants my number. He wants to talk more. I need to…how am I…_

“Give me a sec.” Keith hurried towards Shiro without waiting for Lance to react. Shiro looked up from his phone, his mouth opening to say something. Keith cut him off. “I need a pen.”

“Okay…why?”

“I’m giving him my number.”

Shiro’s smile was so big it looked like it might consume his face whole. He quickly dug a pen out of his bag while Keith pulled an old receipt out of his wallet. He smoothed out the crinkled paper and wrote his name and number in an empty space.

Keith folded up the paper as small as he could and held it in the palm on his hand. He bounded back over to Lance and held out his hand.

“Thanks.” Keith said. “It was really great talking to you.”

Lance looked down at Keith’s hand, not noticing the small piece of paper.

“Uh, likewise.” Finally, he reached out and shook Keith’s hand, his eyes lighting up when Keith slipped the paper into his hand. “I can’t wait to get to know you better.”

“Same.” Keith held on for a moment longer before he stepped away. “I’m going to go. Uh, see you soon? Maybe?”

“Definitely.” Lance nodded. 

“Cool. That’s, c-cool. Uh, bye.” Keith walked away, his heart thrumming in excitement. 

 

* * *

 

“Hunk, I love my job.” Lance burst into the apartment, tossing his bag to the side. He quickly unbuttoned his vest, carefully taking it off and draping it over the back of one of the kitchen chairs.

Hunk looked up from his spot on the couch. “I think you’ve said that every day since you started working there.” Hunk teased.

“True, but today was by far the best.”

“Did you finally get to meet a princess?”

“Sadly, no. But I did nearly run into Peter Pan. Like literally. He like, flew around the corner and nearly knocked me out.”

“Was that a pun?”

Lance paused. “Unintentionally, yes. But were getting away from the point! Best. Day. Ever!”

“What happened?” Hunk asked.

“I, Lance McClain, got a cute boy’s number.”

“Wait, during your shift? Isn’t that against the rules?”

“Yes, and I was totally ready to accept defeat, but he slipped me his number!” Lance reached into his pocket and held up the receipt like it was a trophy. “Ignoring the fact that he spent a concerning amount of money on hot glue sticks, Sharpies and what looks like a whole box of mini M&M’s, look! A name! And a number! Is this a dream? Because if it is, I don’t want to wake up.”

Lance collapsed on the couch next to his friend, kicking off his shoes and sighing. He stared at the slanted writing on the receipt and couldn’t help but think about curious storm colored eyes and long dark hair. Honestly, Lance couldn’t figure out how Keith got away with having shoulder length hair. He was pretty sure that it was against that whole Disney Look thing that they drilled into his brain during orientation.

“Is he an Annual Pass holder or something?” Hunk asked. “It would suck if he was only here on vacation.”

“That’s the best part, Hunk. He’s a Cast Member! Remember when we went to the parks yesterday and I talked to that guy at Haunted Mansion? That’s him!” Lance was practically bouncing on the cushions.

“Oh, I remember him! He was a kind of quiet, but he seemed really nice.”

“Yeah, takes a bit to get him out of his shell, but let me tell you Hunk, it’s so worth it. He’s just…he’s really cool.”

“What’s his name?” Hunk asked.

“Keith.”

“Are you going to text him today?”

“I uh, already did.” Lance admitted sheepishly. He sat up, suddenly worried. “Is it too soon? Do you think I came off as too eager? He hasn’t answered yet. Ah, I totally freaked him out didn’t I?!”

Hunk put one hand on top of Lance’s head. "Lance, breath.”

“I can’t breathe! I need to check my phone.”

Before he could stand up, Hunk wrapped Lance up in a crushing hug. No amount of wiggling could help him escape.

“No phone until you calm down a bit.” Hunk ordered. “Remember last time? Your hands were shaking so bad that you threw your phone onto the kitchen tile and cracked the screen.”

“Huh, good point. Thanks for looking out, man.”

“Anytime, buddy.”

 

 

_*Meanwhile, at Keith and Lotor’s apartment*_

“Keith? Is there any specific reason I found your phone in the refrigerator?”

“I gave my number to a cute boy and he texted me and I don’t know what to do so I hid my phone so I wouldn’t have to think about it.”

“…”

“…”

“Keith, we talked about this.”

 

 

“Okay, you feeling better?” Hunk asked. He managed to both distract and calm Lance down by turning on k-pop videos.

“Huh? Oh, yeah I’m good. But uh, can you do me one more favor?” Lance asked.

“Sure! What’s up?”

Lance squirmed in his seat. “I’m still a little…freaked out? Could you check my phone for me? I’m still a little paranoid that I’m going to accidently chuck my phone out the window.”

Hunk smiled. “No problem, I got you covered.”

“Thanks.”

 

 

_*Back at Keith and Lotor’s*_

“Just tell me what you’d like to text back and can type it.”

“Okay.”

“So, what do you want to say?”

“Uh…”

“…”

“…”

“Keith. Do you want me to come up with something?”

“Yes please.”

“Alright, but you owe me. How does this sound…”

 

 

“He responded.” Hunk smiled.

“Holy shit…” Lance melted further into the couch. “Okay, okay, I can be cool. I just have to be cool. Okay, type this.”

 

(The first text conversation Lance and Keith had was typed solely by their kind, yet exhausted roommates.)

 

* * *

 

Two weeks after Keith had met Lance, they finally found time for a date.

Lance tugged on his shirt, wondering if he’d made a mistake. Going to Disneyland for their first date might have been a little weird. Keith had been working at the parks for ages. He was probably over the whole scene by now. But for Lance, it was still exciting. He still couldn’t believe where he was half the time.

It was just after his shift and the sun had finally fully set. Lance had stuffed clothes into the small backpack he brought to work and spent at least a half hour fixing his hair in the mirror.

Standing in the promenade, Lance tried to find any hint of Keith. The lights for both parks began flickering on. The music was drowned out by chattering families, all in search for something to eat before the nights activities began. While Lance watched a father trying to wrangle his child into their stroller, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

 “Hey.” Keith smiled, a hesitant thing that mirrored the nerves floating around Lance’s head. He looked just as handsome as Lance remembered.

“Hey.” Lance nearly went in for a hug. Was it weird to hug someone right away on a first date? Lance suddenly forget every romantic venture he ever had as he tried to figure out what color Keith’s eyes really were.

“Do you…uh, do you want to head in?” Keith asked.

“Oh, y-yeah! Yeah, let’s head in. We have to grab a good spot before Main Street fills up.”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

Keith and Lance went to the shortest line and waited to get into the park. They talked a little, going over the basic conversation starters to pass the time. Things like work, the weather, how quickly the line was moving. Once inside, the pair strolled through the nearest tunnel to Main Street.

Lance still got shivers when he passed through the entrance. When Main Street opened up in front of him, he felt like he was nine years old again. All the excitement and anticipation of entering the magic kingdom was something Lance could never get over. Even though he’s been backstage and seen plenty of strange things, the magic was still there. Knowing how everything worked, how long it took the princesses to put on their makeup or finding all the secret passages and tunnels used to get around, nothing seemed capable of wiping the Pixie Dust from his eyes. Everything was still just as wonderful as when he was a kid.

Lance couldn’t help but wonder if that would wear off eventually. If he’d soon see this place like any ordinary job. Just something he had to do to get by. He really hoped that wouldn’t happen.

“Do you want to get some ice cream while we wait?” Keith asked.

Lance blinked. He’d been so caught up in his own thoughts for a moment that he forgot he wasn’t alone. “Uh, sounds good to me. We’ve still got like, a good hour before the fireworks.”

Keith nodded and tugged on Lances arm to pull him to the side. Gibson Girls Ice Cream Parlor was packed with people. By the look of things, they weren’t the only ones who decided to grab a treat before the main event.

As they took their place in line, Lance turned to Keith. “Hey, thanks for going along with this idea. I bet the last place you want to be right now is work, but I’ve really wanted a reason to see the fireworks and—and yeah. Thanks man.”

“I don’t mind.” Keith said. “Coming here, that is. Yeah, it’s technically work, but I don’t come here too often during my down time. It’s not like I’m sick of this place or anything.”

Lance grinned. “That’s a relief. I was hardcore panicking that I ruined our first date before it even started by picking a lame activity.”

“I don’t think it’s possible for you to ruin anything…” Keith mumbled.

“Huh?”

“N-nothing. What are you going to get? I’m buying.”

The line moved quickly, and soon the pair had ice cream cones in their hands. The air was chilly as they strolled down Main Street, the ice cream not helping on bit. Lance couldn’t stop eating the creamy treat even though each taste sent a shiver down his spine.

Right in front of the castle, where the Walt and Mickey statue stood tall, a small crowd was gathering for the fireworks. Keith led them to a spot as center as they could find and the two got ready to wait.

“So what made you decide to work here?” Lance asked. Keith didn’t seem like the typical Disney enthusiast. Then again, he was wearing a very cool Hercules shirt the second time they met. Lance has been wrong about these things before.

“Well, I wasn’t having the best time in school, so I applied for the internship program here just to get away for a while. After it was all done, I just decided to stay.”

“Hold the phone, there is an internship program here? Why didn’t I know about this?”

Keith chuckled. “I don’t know. They advertise pretty heavily for it on their job website.”

“Huh. I really need to pay attention more.” Lance sighed. Keith laughed again.

“What about you? Why did you want to work for the mouse? For the benefits?”

 “Oh, hell yeah. I’ve got a huge family and going to Disney takes like, years of saving for all of us to go. I thought ‘hey I need a job. Why not check out theme parks’? That and I’m like, kind of obsessed with this place.”

“Really? How come?”

Lance took a bite out of his ice cream cone, buying himself time. He had to figure out just how truthful he was going to be. Lance didn’t want to bore Keith with his child-like attitude towards this place. Then again, Keith seemed really…genuine. Nice. Good. The type of person who would make fun of Lance for saying what he was thinking. Lance swallows and looked up at the castle.

“Well, when I was a kid, I’d only come here once. It was all my parent could afford at the time. But I remember it all so clearly.” Lance smiled as memories came flooding back. “I remember all of us kids wearing bright orange shirts so that our parents could keep track of us. I remember being scare shitless on Matterhorn and driving a car in Autopia. The Lion King parade, the churro I stole from my sister, _everything_. Its…one of the best memories I have with my family. All of us, together in one place. It’s gotten harder to do that since were all growing up. I don’t know, maybe it’s just nostalgia talking, but thinking of this place, seeing people creating the same memories I treasure so much it’s just…I just really, really like it.”

Lance took another bite of his cone and kept his eyes firmly away from Keith’s enchanting gaze. It felt like he had said way too much.

“That’s…nice.” Keith finally said.

“Yeah? It doesn’t sound cheesy as all hell?” Lance asked.

“A little,” Keith admitted. “But in a good way. You hear stories like that a lot here, and well, I guess I’ve just tuned them out over the past year or so. I kind of forget nice things like that because I see so much random dumbass-ary on a daily basis.”

Lance snorted. “Really? Dude, I bet you’ve got some crazy stories.”

“I do. I’ll tell you them sometime.”

“Great.”

By the time they finished their ice cream, the crowd around them had grown. The air around them was filled with excited anticipation for the show that was about to begin. Lance felt that familiar burst child-like excitement bubbling in his chest. The one time him and his family had come to Disneyland, they’d all been too concerned with riding rides to stand around for the fireworks. Lance was unbelievably excited to finally see the show that everyone talked about.

“Should be starting any minute now.” Keith said. “You know, I don’t remember the last time I saw the fireworks, to be honest.”

“Really? Can you even see them from Mansion?”

“Kind of, but I don’t work nights too often.”

Lance nodded. “Lucky. This is the earliest I’ve been off in ages. I’m usually here till closing and it gets kind of creepy at night.”

Keith laughed. “Sucks for you, newbie.”

Just as he was about to respond, the lights around them dimmed. The crowd fluttered in excitement, kids squealing in delight and parents getting their camera’s ready. Lance jumped in his spot a little, smiling widely. He could hear Keith chuckle quietly next to him.  

The castle was illuminated in a rosy glow as the first few notes of music played over the speakers.

 

* * *

 

After riding the crowd out of the parks and to the parking garage, the pair made their way to Denny’s for dinner.

Keith tapped his fingers on the table nervously.

“Y’know, this is kind of the perfect choice after a long day.” Lance commented. He was stacking jelly packets on top of one another, making a little tower.

“Yeah?” Keith asked.

“Yeah. Like, I kind of thought we might eat in the park, but this is better. Less people and cheap food. That and I’m like, exhausted from work. The last place I want to be is surrounded by too many people.”

“Oh, well, we can get stuff to go if you want to head home—“

“No! N-no I, I _want_ to keep hanging out with you. I’ve been waiting for this date for a weeks. Besides, I work late tomorrow so I can catch up on my sleep then. I…I’m having fun. I want to spend more time with you, if that’s okay?”

Keith sighed in relief. “Yeah. It’s more than okay.”

“Cool.”

“Yeah, cool.”

The night time crowd at Denny’s was a mix of tired people in the search for a quick bite and people too young to go out to bars but saddled with too much energy to call it a night. The waiters and waitresses were kind, full of smiles and staying at their tables to talk. The woman who brought Keith and Lance their menus was older, with deep smile lines and sparkling clip in her hair. Lance chatted with her easily while Keith was just happy that the night was going so well.

When they finally put in their order, Lance glanced around.

“I can’t help but notice that there are a lot of people in costumes here.” He nodded to the booth behind them where a girl in a Tomorrowland shirt was drinking a milkshake with her friend in similar attire.

“Oh yeah, this is kind of known as the Disney Denny’s.” Keith shrugged.

“Say what now?”

“Well, this is the only Denny’s close to the parks that isn’t overrun by tourist. Its open late and the food is inexpensive, it pretty popular with Cast Members our age. I used to come here all the time because I hated cooking.”

Lance laughed. “Dude, I swear, it’s like a joined some super-secret club when I got this job.”

“Or a cult.”

“Disney is not a cult.”

“Maybe not for us, but some of the annual pass holders have cult-ish tendencies. I’ve seen some shit.”

“That one of the weirdest things I’ve ever heard. Also, all these hints to your so call ‘wild stories’ are really building up my expectations. So spill, before combust with anticipation.”

Keith grinned. He crossed his arms on the table and leaned a little closer to Lance to begin the epic and terrifying tale of the year that Frozen came out and chaos that ensued.

And yeah, Keith might still think that Disney was a little cheesy and definitely overpriced, but he couldn’t deny the magic at work. Something about that place, about the hope and imagination drifting through the air, was completely unique and irreplaceable. And while people liked to boast about their stories of meeting ‘the one’ at the parks, Keith never put much thought into those stories. He never dreamed it would happen to him.

Now, sitting across from the boy he had met only weeks ago, Keith couldn’t deny the feeling bubbling in his chest. He couldn’t think of any other way they would have crossed paths if it wasn’t for the magic created in that little kingdom.

Keith had never believed in destiny before, but now? Now he was a true believer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is interested, here are some random story ideas for this AU that will, most likely, never see the light of day. Most, if not all of these are based off of me, my friends, or my fam lol. 
> 
> • Pidge- Show Tech. Works Fantasmic most nights but also had done the parades and World of Color if needed. Graduated early and pretends like she hates her job/Disney. Totally lying.  
> • Coran- Main Street confectionery? OR holy shit he could be a Dapper Dan. OR an actual Plaid. The ones who give the tours! Idea, no one really knows what Coran does. But he is definitely a Cast Member…maybe.  
> • Shiro doesn’t ride Small World. He got stuck on it for half an hour when he was a kid and is Traumatized™  
> • Allura gets all the entertainment gossip and shares it with everyone. Like that one time parade Aladdin and Peter were dating, only for Al to cheat with a chimney sweep lololol  
> • Keith only really goes to the parks with Shiro and rarely Allura. At the end of the year, he usually tries to find a random family to use up the rest of his passes. (Lance saw him do this and actually cried)  
> • Lance quickly makes friends with a lot of the princesses. On slow days, when they pass by each other, he’ll dance with them. They think he’s adorable.  
> • Riding the monorail at night, Lance will make sure a window is open and crow like Peter Pan when they go over Fantasyland  
> • When drunk, Pidge can and will perform the ending scene to Fantasmic perfectly. She even has one of the streamer thingys they use in the show.


	3. Te Amo y Más

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 – Realization/ “Seriously? Again?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a weird attempt at me trying to get into young Lance's mindset. It's kind of just me asking the question of what started the whole rivalry? Was it jealousy? Was it a way to hide certain feelings? How was it being compared to the that person over and over? Did it make things worse?  
> So, I just started writing, and this is what came of it. Hope you enjoy :D

It came slowly, like learning how to dance. The first few steps are hesitant, awkward. Every movement feels like your walking on ice. Slipping and sliding, never really sure if you’re steady. Lance remembers the beginning. He remembers the uncertainty.

The first time they met, Lance had made it his personal goal to beat Keith Kogane at every possible turn. From getting the best score on the flight simulator all the way down to who could get to the last slice of cake at the cafeteria, Lance was going to win. He was going to be a better pilot, a better student, just better on the whole. Keith may have had the most natural talent, but Lance had the drive. He was going to surpass Keith in every way possible.

The beginning was rocky, unstable. Like the ice was a moment away from cracking.

Lance always knew that Keith was quiet. The few times he did try to talk to Keith never really amounted to anything. Usually, Lance would toss a few comments in Keith direction, trying to get him to bite. The whole rivalry thing would have been a whole lot better if Keith at least participated in the banter. But then, Lance got moved down to cargo pilot and he was stuck running after Keith for a _year_. Trying and failing over and over again to catch up.

Lance was used to striving for goals. He was used to chasing after someone else’s accomplishments just to break even. Being the youngest in such a large family put more pressure on him then Lance ever wanted to admit. All of his siblings had done great things and his parents were expecting the same from him. They never told him that he needed to be as good or better. They weren’t the ones going online and filling out a Garrison application for him. Lance’s parents were kind and wanted their children to do their best no matter what they chose in life. But Lance couldn’t seem to look past his siblings glow. They were amazing and smart and successful. If he didn’t follow in their footsteps and do just as well, then what would he be? The failure? The black sheep? Lance couldn’t let that happen.

He didn’t need anyone else to chase after. He didn’t need Keith fucking everything up and suddenly become the prodigy that everyone claimed him to be. Lance needed his rival to motivate him, not drown him with all that prestige.

When the Kerberos mission failed, Lance felt the world underneath him shift. Somethings suddenly weren’t as important anymore. Fame and money and stature weren’t the things he wanted. With Keith dropping out, it was like there was a blind spot in the corner of his eye. Like the mark Lance had set for himself suddenly disappeared.

Lance no longer had any one to chase after in school. He didn’t have someone to envy, scores to look up at, a tangible goal in line.

When Lance moved up to the fighter class, the world suddenly looked very different. Living up to the legacy that his siblings had built meant something new now. Lance wasn’t worried about being as successful as them. Instead he just wanted to be as _happy_ as them. He wanted to find something that made him smile.

Lance found that in flying.

 _So thanks for dropping out, Keith,_ Lance thought.

Being in the fighter class was so much better then Lance could have imagined. He found his passion in the fast paced action. He thrived in the split second decision making and working with the two brilliant minds that made up his flight crew.

If only his passion for the job was as easily praised as Keith’s skill.

Days and weeks and _months_ of being reminded why he was there put a damper on Lance’s joy. He couldn’t do anything without being compared to Keith. Whether he did good or bad, Iverson would always say ‘ _You’re nothing compared to Kogane’_. It stung worse than a punch to the face.

In retrospect, Lance figured out that his resentment towards Keith came from those moments. When Iverson would constantly compare the two of them, even though Keith had long ago run away. Lance could never go a day without hearing that name.

When they finally saw each other again, Lance’s view of Keith Kogane had been completely skewed.

He was still perfect. Perfect hair, perfect skin, perfect voice. Lance felt more confident in himself, but for a moment he was thrust back into the past when he was an awkward little pre-teen trying to keep his voice from cracking.

Keith was so god damn cool that it was annoying. Saving Shiro, his crazy hover bike stunts and what not. Even the dusty shack he’d been living in seemed cool after living in strict Garrison order for so long. And then there was the… _feeling_.

The energy Keith had felt in desert. Something so mystical that of course it attracted Keith Kogane to it like a moth to a damn flame. The only saving grace was that Keith’s weird psychic powers had led them to Blue. Lance was ten seconds away from gloating like a cartoon villain when the Blue Lion let Lance pilot her. It was the biggest victory he had ever had over his rival. Something that Keith could never compete with.

Of course that was until Blue had led them to the Castle of Lions and the all found out that they each would get a lion of their own. The fact that Keith was, once again, trying to one up him irked Lance to no end.

‘ _Seriously, again!?’ Lance groaned. He banged his head against his bedroom wall, trying not to just dissolve into a puddle on the ground. His new bedroom was too clean. Too metal. Too new. It just made all his negative emotions skyrocket since he was stuck in a strange new place. ‘Keith, fucking Keith. He always just—he just had to try and one up me every damn time…’_

Lance spent the first night in the castle complaining to the wall and punching his pillow.

Voltron was the turning point. When the beginning suddenly transitioned to the middle. It was hard at first. Learning to not only get along with, but to inherently trust someone who had been the object of Lance’s ire for years. Lance constantly felt like he was trying to hug a bear. There was always that fear of something going wrong and for Lance to wind up crushed after poking the bear for too long.

Lance wasn’t sure where that metaphor come from, but picturing a giant black bear bursting out of Keith’s dumb red jacket was always entertaining.

As their training progressed, Lance began to really see Keith. He began to actually get to know him. It was hard, mainly because they were fighting in an intergalactic war, but also because Lance had too many ideas in his head when it came to this boy.

Lance had spent years seeing Keith only for his talent. Watching the other boy take on the simulators with ease and looking like he didn’t care at all. To him, Keith was perfect. He didn’t second guess himself, didn’t have to struggle for every achievement and Lance was pretty sure Keith was too serious to actually have fun and goof off.

But then the layers started to peel back. Lance realized that Keith could be hot headed and had a temper. He had a hard time listening to others, maybe because he always kept his distance. Keith made mistakes and didn’t think things through all the time. He was, by no means, perfect.

Not only that, but Lance was actually shocked to find out that Keith was just as free spirited and goofy as the rest of them. Even though it was kind of rare, Keith joined in when they hung out. He made jokes, dry witty remarks that often left Lance wheezing. Keith even went along with some of their shenanigans. He teased Shiro, sat with Pidge while she worked, and tested food goo creations for Hunk. Keith was—he was just like them.

Keith took a running jump off of the pedestal that Lance had built. He left it so far behind that Lance had a hard time remembering what he used to think. Lance realized that he never really _knew_ Keith until they all had been thrown out into space. He never knew what kind of person he really was.

Lance had never realized how much he liked that person. How much he liked Keith.

Throughout countless space battles, explosions and fire fights, training mishaps and more, Lance came to realize that there was more to each one of his teammates then he could have guessed. There was so much more to Keith then he’d ever had known if he stayed on earth.

Once that fact hit him, the rest wasn’t so hard.

 _It’s true,_ Lance thought one day. _It really does happen slowly, then all at once. Who would have guessed?_

It wasn't easy. Peeling back the layers and learning to talk to one another as friends instead of rivals. Lance never realized how annoying it must have been for Keith to have someone edging him on constantly. But Lance _tried_. He tried harder then he had with any other relationship in his life. There was a lot to make up for. Attitudes that had to change and friendship to build. 

All the effort had been worth it the first time Keith smiled at him or laughed at one of Lance's cheesy jokes. It had been worth it the first time they hung out together without the buffer of the other paladins. It had been so, _so_ worth it the first time they almost kissed. 

Sometimes, Lance thinks its the build up that really makes a moment special. Its like taking the time to listen to a full album instead of just the single. It's letting yourself experience every thing as a whole before having the opportunity to appreciate it's parts. 

Its falling in love with a person, and then finding new things to love every single day. 

After years of stumbling along, Lance and Keith had finally learned the right steps. They danced and danced, never slowing and never letting go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading <3 <3 <3


	4. And you can hear my rally cry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3 – Victory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am weak for knight/prince AU's. Not even just that. Give me a story where both of them are princes. Enemy princes. Secret princes. Prince and peasants AU's. I just love me some vaguely medieval worlds :D  
> Hope you enjoy!

It was hard to call this battle a victory.

Keith stood in the middle of the battlefield, his boots soaked in blood and gore, leaving a stain on his very soul. The bodies of the fallen had been identified, recorded and burned. The same couldn’t be said for the enemy. They were left where they fell, soon to be picked apart by scavengers and reclaimed by the land. It was truly a gruesome fate for those who were unlucky enough to be on the losing side.

Being a knight had always seemed far more heroic when Keith was a child. They were always praised and celebrated whenever they strode into town with their shiny armor and gleaming swords. They wore their scars with pride, as if there was nothing more honorable then being marked by an enemy blade.

When it came to the wound on his cheek, the only thing Keith could think about was the face of the man who thrashed his sword around blindly. The desperation in his eyes as he fought for his life. The moment Keith’s own blade slid between the plates of his armor, taking the life that man held so dear. Keith was sure that the scar he would bare would bring him nothing but sadness.

Keith walked a bit longer, trying to figure out the best way to move with the cumbersome brace on his knee. The medic would be having a fit if he knew that Keith was up and walking, but Keith couldn’t stay still. He couldn’t sit on a cushioned bed while the land was being tainted with so much blood. He had to see it all for himself.

Staring at the desolate field, it dawned on Keith that the war was truly over. It had been nearly a decade since the first attack. Keith was only a child when it happened, but he could remember the panic. The change in the air. It was like their country had been covered in an endless storm. The clouds heavy, weighing down the air and making it difficult to take a breath.

Now, it was finally over. _It’s done. It’s over. Over, over, over._  

“Keith?” A gentle voice, like the swell of a winter wind, called to him. Romelle picked her way across the field, avoiding most of the gore. He left arm was wrapped up in a sling. “Shiro sent me to find you. You’re not supposed to be walking.”

“I know. I’m sorry I just—I needed to see everything.” Keith said quietly.

Romelle nodded. Her once long blond hair had been cut short, all the way to her shoulders. She had cut it the moment her archery skills were recognized by the knight captain. Keith almost didn’t recognize his friend when she showed up to training the next day.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“I’m okay as I can be.” He answered honestly. “I think I’m…in shock a little bit. I can’t believe it’s all over.”

“I feel the same. This war needed to end but I…I didn’t think it would end like this.”

The fires burned behind them while the remains of the Galra army rotted away on the other side of the field. A single tattered banner fluttered in the breeze.

“Come on, let’s go back to camp.” Romelle grabbed Keith’s arm and slung it over her shoulder. “You’re leg needs to heal and the general was talking about making plans to leave in the morning. You need to be there.”

Reluctantly, Keith leaned a bit of his weight on Romelle. The pain in his knee was really getting to him. “Alright. Let’s head back.”

Romelle lead Keith away from the battlefield to their camp. It was a city of tents, filled with supplies and soldiers. Medics were running to and fro, patching up any man or woman who stumbled their way. Many of the seriously injured were housed in the medical tent, one of the largest they had. There were a collection of horse drawn wagons and carts surrounding the tents that were being prepared to take the injured back home.

Keith was sure that someone somewhere would insist that he travel in one of those carts, but he was ready to refuse. He left on horseback with his head held high and that was how he was going to return.

The two slowly made their way back to Keith’s small tent. Romelle made sure that her friend was sitting before she dashed off to grab them food and water. Keith shrugged off his coat, the slash on his back stinging.

“Adam stopped me on my way back.” Romelle re-entered the tent, a bag slung over her shoulder and a canteen in her hand. “He gave me a salve for your wounds. Want me to help get the one on your back?”

“I want to say no, but I don’t think I’ll be able to reach it on my own.” Keith admitted.

“That’s what I’d thought you say.” Romelle smiled. She tossed the bag of food on the bed in front of him and sat on the cot.

Keith slipped his shirt off, keeping his movements slow to avoid pulling at the already tender flesh on his back. Romelle let out a soft hiss before reaching out and carefully removing the bandage.

“I’ll have to redress this for you.” She sighed.

“You can do that one handed?” Keith asked.

“I can try. Don’t understatement me, my lord.”

Keith groaned. “Don’t call me that. I don’t have a title, after all.”

“You will if his highness has anything to do with it.” Romelle teased. With the ruined bandaged tossed aside, she began coating the wound in the salve. “What is Prince Lance going to say when you show up like this? Didn’t you say you would make it back to him in one piece? He’s going to be so cross.”

“I am in one piece. A few people may have tried to take a part of me, but they didn’t. Lance has no reason to be angry.” Keith paused. “How do you even know what I said?”

Romelle chuckled quietly. “You should have figured that out by now. There are no private halls in the castle, Keith. The stones hear all.”

Keith sighed, his cheek stinging. It was a very uncomfortable thing realizing that most of his conversations with Lance were probably well known throughout the castle. It was bad enough when everyone found out they were courting.  

“Do you…do you really think he’ll be mad?” Keith asked quietly. His fingers grazed the bandage on his cheek. His face had nearly been cut in half.

“No.” Romelle answered. “I think he’ll be worried. He’s been worrying about you for since we left last spring.”

Keith remembers that day clearly, nearly a year ago now. It was odd to think that they had been chasing down the Galra army for so long. Putting an end to their raids and attempts at expanding their territory until it all cumulated into one epic battle. Keith remembers the day he left vividly. He recalls meeting Lance early in the morning, his prince disheveled and tired after a restless night. Keith remembers the tears that trickled down Lance’s face as they spoke about the ‘what ifs’.

_“What if…what if you don’t come back? Keith, what am I supposed to do then?”_

_“I don’t know. What if we don’t stop this army? What if the Galra escape us and raid the castle? What would I do?”_

_“I don’t know. I don’t know how to navigate any of this.”_

_“Neither do I. We just…we just have to do the best we can. I’ll fight my hardest to come back to you, Lance. I promise, I’ll comeback in one piece.”_

_“I have faith that you’ll keep that promise. And if you don’t, when I eventually meet you in the afterlife, I’ll throttle you.”_

_“Wh-what? Lance…”_

_“I’m serious.”_

_“I got that.”_

_“Then why are you laughing!”_

_“Because you just…you’re just so…_ you _. I love you.”_

_“I love you too, you dumb heroic knight.”_

_“So eloquent, your highness.”_

_“Be quiet and kiss me.”_

It had been two months since Keith was able to send a letter. Lance was probably ready to march out of the castle himself to try and track Keith down. The prince was never one to sit on the sidelines. Keith had a feeling that if Lance hadn’t been born into the royal family, he would have been just as dumbly heroic as Keith himself. Maybe even more so. He was incredibly selfless.

“I…I can’t wait to see him.” Keith admitted quietly. His heart thrummed at the memory of bright smiles and contagious laughter.

Romelle pat his shoulder. “I know. We’ll get you back to your prince soon.”

 

* * *

 

The first time Lance met Keith was an accident. Lance, barely eight years old, had decided that being a prince was boring. He wanted to go on adventures, ride dragons and battle with swords. Little Lance saw no point in sitting in lessons all day and learning proper etiquette. He was the youngest of four, a tiny little prince that would never be king.

Lance didn’t want to be king. He wanted to travel to the ends of the world.

Being eight years old, Lance wasn’t entirely sure what he would need to begin a life as an adventurer. One thing he was positive about was that he would need a horse.

One evening, when the guards were right in the middle of rotation, Lance ducked out of his bedroom and hurried to a secret passageway. The small doorway was hidden behind one of the many suits of armor that lined the hall near his room. He crept through the tunnel, tripping as his long cloak got tangled under his feet.

The passage led him to the laundry room, and from there it was a short run to the sable outside. Lance was just about to sneak to his favorite horses stall when he heard a pair of stable hands approaching fast. Lance panicked, ducking into the nearest empty stall and jumping into a large pile of hay. He didn’t plan on coming face to face with another runaway.

The memory was so vivid, so clear, that Lance could practically feel the hay on his back. He could smell the dusty stable, hear the chattering stable hands. Try as he might, Lance couldn’t stop thinking about the first time he met Keith.

The prince had been lying awake in his bed for hours. Every memory of his friend, his beloved, was washing over him again and again.

Keith had been running away from the orphanage the first time they met. He was tired of the gross food and crowded rooms and just wanted some time to himself. Lance remembers sitting in the hay with Keith until morning, making plans to run away to the mountains. They were found out by the morning guards, but it still was a fond memory.

The next time they met was a few years later when Lance and his sisters when into town to find a present for their eldest brothers birthday. Lance had wandered down the street, found cat stuck on a roof and nearly fell into a pile of garbage trying to get her down. Keith had seen Lance climbing up the side of the building and decided to lend a hand before the prince broke his neck.

Meeting after meeting, their friendship grew until Lance couldn’t imagine his life without Keith. When the young man had defied all odds and became the youngest knight in a century, Lance was utterly smitten. Their blossoming romance was allowed to flourish with Keith now having a permanent home inside the castle walls.

But Keith was a knight whose country was at war. It was only a matter of time before he would be called away.

Lance pushed his blanket to the side and sat up. He ran his hand though his hair and down his face. It felt like it had been a years since he received that letter, and the wait to see Keith was even longer still.

The castle had received word of their army’s victory nearly a week ago. A few days later, a tawny owl landed on Lance’s window sill with a message attached to its leg. Keith always sent letters directly to Lance when he could. If he didn’t, the prince was sure to go mad with worry.

Lance stood and made his way to his desk where the message sat. Next to it were a few stray feathers from his owl, peacefully napping on her perch after a long night hunting.

The message was simple, painfully to the point.

_I’ll be home soon. I love you._

Lance huffed. “After two months of nothing, this is all I get. What am I going to do with him…”

Even though it was brief, at least Lance knew that Keith was okay. War had already taken too many and Lance wasn’t sure if he’d be able to survive if it took Keith too.But now it was over. Now, they could finally have peace.

The morning sun peaked through Lance’s window. He watched the sunrise from his desk, too awake to try to fall back asleep. The army had been due back any day now and Lance couldn’t keep his excitement contained.

He waited until the sun was fully in the sky and then began getting ready. It was another day filled to the brim with planning and preparing. The citizens had nearly worked themselves into an excited frenzy, preparing to celebrate their army’s return. When news of the war’s end had reached them, the party lasted an entire week.

Lance and the rest of the royals joined the celebration, but beneath it all they were also getting ready to care for the ones that returned. And, to offer some sort of comfort for the families of those who didn’t. Even though it they had won, victory didn’t come without sacrifice.

As Lance left his room to head to breakfast, he noticed a guard running his way.

“Nyma? What’s—“

“Your highness, I had to tell you…” Nyma coughed, a strand of loose blonde hair falling in her eyes.

“Is something wrong?” Lance asked, fearing the answer.

Nyma shook her head, a brilliant grin flooding her face. “No, it’s just—they’re back. The army, they just crossed the border. They’ll be here by noon.”

“They’re back? They…they’re really back? I—“ Lance didn’t know what to say. A warm, bubbly feeling burst in his chest, making him smile and laugh. “Holy shit, Nyma they’re back!”

Lance wrapped his arms around his friend, lifting her and spinning them both. Nyma had been one of the few left to guard the castle, even though she longed to follow her brother into battle. She had been just as worried as Lance. Now, they both got to see their loved one, in a just a matter of hours.

The prince finally put Nyma down, taking off down the hall.

“Where are you going?” she called after him.

“Food! Then I have to wash my hair. Oh! I need to raid Cleo’s soaps. I’m all out and I need to look my best!” Lance hurried down the hall, already thinking of holding Keith in just a manner of hours.

 

* * *

 

Keith couldn’t stop smiling, even though the act made the healing cut on his cheek sting. The familiar towers of the castle, the smell of blossoming jasmine and the lively chatter of the city streets, everything was as it should be. After being away for so long, it felt good to be home.

Brilliant, colorful banners hung from every house. Children ran alongside the tired knights and their horses, cheering and welcoming them back home. Behind him, Keith noticed Romelle leap off her horse and nearly tackle her little brother in a one armed hug.

The parade marched down the main street, the entire town out in droves to welcome them all home. Surrounded by so much joy, images of the final battle began to fade. The terror and pain that had been Keith's life for months and months suddenly felt worth it. It was worth it to confront those challenges head on so that none of these people had too. These good and honest people deserved to live in peace. Keith wanted to provide that peace, no matter what it took.

It was in that moment, smiling so wide that his cheeks grew numb, that their victory felt real. Every wound, every heartache, it was all worth it just to see these people smile.

The parade dwindled down as knights were reunited with their families along the way. Keith kept his head up high, staring down the castle with single minded intensity. Soon, the plain rocky road smoothed out into polished stone. The energetic fiddle music faded away to royal horns. The crowd’s cheers began echoing off of grey stone walls.

The remaining knights filled the castle courtyard where even more family and friends waited. People were hoping off their horses, leaping into the arms of their loved ones and celebrating their homecoming.

Keith let his mount trot forward, getting closer to the steps where the royal family stood. The King and Queen were standing arm in arm, making their way down the steps to greet the returning knights. Three of the royal siblings were already shaking hands and hugging their friends, while the fourth was still standing at the top of the stairs.

Lance’s gaze was darting all over the crowd, his hands clutched behind his back and his shoulder stiff and tense. His dusty brown hair had gotten longer in all that time, curling around his ears and drifting in to eyes. Keith felt his breath catch in his chest. He couldn’t look away.

The prince seemed to sense Keith’s gaze. Lance’s head turned, his eyes locking on to Keith and widened. Then, the biggest most dazzling smile Keith had ever seen consumed Lance’s face.

Lance barreled down the stairs, his arms flying by his side and laughter already ringing in the air. Keith swung his leg over his mount and slid off his saddle as quickly as his sore knee would allow.

People seemed to part for them. Moving out of the way and giving both of them a clear path to one another. Keith didn’t notice or even care what the rest of the world was doing. All he seemed capable of focusing on was the burn of happy tears in the corner of his eye and the laughing prince sprinting towards him with open arms.

When they finally reached each other, Lance barreled into Keith so hard the two were sent tumbling to the ground.

Keith felt a jolt of pain as his wounded back hit the hard stone, but it quickly melted away as soon as he heard Lance’s voice in his ear. The tired knight gripped his prince tightly and buried his face in the crook of his neck.

“You’re back,” Lance breathed. “You’re back, you’re here, you’re finally here!”

“I’m here.” Keith croaked. He hadn’t realized he started crying. “I made it back, just like I promised.”

Lance leaned back, cradling Keith cheek with one hand. “I had faith in you. Even though it looks like you’re not exactly in one piece.” Lance tapped the area around the cut on Keith’s cheek. His eyes were somber for a moment before turning back to their glittering happiness. “What am I going to do with you, you stupid, heroic knight?”

Feeling bold and drowning in happiness, Keith tugged on Lance’s shirt. “Kiss me?”

Lance flushed, the smile never leaving his lips as he leaned down. “If you insist.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading <3 <3 <3


	5. Late Nights, Long Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 4 – Cuddling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff, man. This is pure fluff.

“Do you ever think that the lions talk about us when they’re alone?” Lance asked.

Keith begrudgingly opened his eyes and sighed. “What?”

“Like, they're sentient, right? Do you think they talk shit about us?”

“I don’t know. Why would they?”

“’Cuz they can. I mean, it’s got to be boring sitting in a hanger all day.”

Keith turned his face in to Lance’s chest and let out a long groan. “I was almost asleep, you asshole.”

“Yeah well you have a minor concussion so no sleeping for a little while longer, okay?” Lance chided. He rubbed Keith’s back soothingly. The pair we’re curled up on bed in the med room after Keith had somewhat, hilarious training accident.

After taking on and defeating three drones at once, Keith tripped on a discarded training staff and crashed face first into a bench. There was a red line across his forehead that Lance was valiantly resisting the urge to make fun of.

“When can I get this thing off?” Keith asked. There was a small sensor on his temple, monitoring his head.

“Soon. Coran said we just have to wait a few hours to make sure you didn’t mess up your brain.”

“I hate waiting.”

“Yeah well that’s what you get for deciding to head butt a metal bench.”

“Hey, no making fun of me for this. Unless you want me to bring up the shower incident.”

“We are never talking about that ever, Kogane.”

“Just like we’re never going to bring this up again either, McClain.”

Lance surrendered, sighing as he placed a kiss on the top of Keith’s head.

They didn’t need the bed. Keith could have just as easily waited out the time sitting at table in the corner of leaning against the wall in his typical, angsty pose. But when Lance saw the rollaway bed tucked to the side, he couldn’t help but tug Keith towards it. Especially since Keith’s accident was cutting into their private time already.

Keith and Lance didn’t get much time to be a couple. They hardly were ever alone for more than a few hours out of the day. It didn’t help that the rest of the team didn’t really know about them yet. At least, they didn’t know anything was official. Lance was pretty sure that Shiro knew and Hunk was far too nosy not to figure it out, but no one had said anything. No one had asked them where they disappeared to on the rare occasions they had free time.

It was kind of nice, if Lance was being honest. It was nice having something just for himself.

“Do you think the others know? About us?” Keith asked. He hugged Lance’s waist tighter, his voice quiet.

“Honestly, I don’t know.”

“What do you think they’ll do when they find out?”

“I think Allura will be annoyed she didn’t get the gossip first.”

Keith chuckled. “She does like knowing those things. I think she just really likes being the first person in on a secret.”

“Yeah.”

Lance idly played with Keith’s hair. It was far softer than it had any right to be.

“Do you think they’ll be mad?” Keith whispered.

“No. I don’t think that at all.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Lance repeated. “It’s not like there’s some rule against paladins dating. And even if there were, I’d still totally fight the establishment so that we could keep on dating.”

Keith snorted. “What?”

“I’m going to fight to keep dating you. C’mon Keith, its romantic.”

“It’s dramatic.”

“You knew what you were getting into.”

“Yeah, yeah. You love being the center of attention.”

Lance held on to Keith a little tighter, his hands trembling. “I like catching your attention. I… like being important to you.”

Keith tensed in Lance’s arms. For a moment, Lance wondered if he said too much. They hadn’t been dating long, and the team didn’t even know they were an item. Was it too much, too soon? Was he about to scare away one of the most incredible people he’d ever met?

Before Lance could complete unravel, Keith slowly sat up. He looked down at Lance with those curious colored eyes. Keith’s eyes were filled with a galaxy all their own. Blue and black, with swirls of grey and purple. Maybe Lance was seeing them through rose colored glasses. Maybe it was just the Galra genes peeking through.

Or maybe it was just Keith. Keith, in all his stubborn, kind, wonderful glory. Maybe it was just the magic of this universe picking this one person to be everything Lance needed and never knew he wanted.

Maybe…maybe it was just love.

Keith blinked, reaching up to trace his thumb along Lance’s cheek bone. “You _are_ important to me. I don’t know how else to say it without sounding cheesy.”

Lance smiled. “Cheese away, dude. Coming from you, I’ll probably swoon even if you use one of my pick-up lines.”

“So, what I’m hearing is that you’re finally admitting that your lines are horrible?”

“Fundamentally, yes. They’re bad. But when I add my Lancey-Lance charm, they become works of art.”

Keith laughed, resting his forehead on Lance’s chest. “You dork.”

“I’m taking that as a term of endearment.”

“Whatever. Not like I’m going to stop you.” 

Eventually, Keith lad back down and the young couple went back to talking while they cuddled. The timer Lance had set finally went off and Keith was overjoyed to finally be sensor free. However the red mark on his forehead was steadily turning into a bruise.

“Son of a bitch.” Keith grumbled. He tossed the little hand mirror back on the bed and brushed his bangs back down.

“Hey, if you give yourself an emo bang, it’ll totally hide your shame.” Lance suggested. “I mean, you’re already halfway there.”

“There’s no way in hell I’m doing that, Lance.”

“Fine, fine, but don’t say I never tried to help you.”

Keith just rolled his eyes. The walked out of the med room together, greeted by the quiet hum of the castle.

“Wanna sleep in my room or yours?” Lance asked.

“Yours. You have more pillows.” Keith answered.

“True. That’s because I found the secret pillow stash.”

“I still don’t believe there’s a secret pillow stash.”

“Yeah? Well I can’t believe how much you drool.”

“H-hey! If were going there, then how about we talk about you’re snoring? I thought there was a space bear in the bed.”

“What?! Why would there be a space bear in your bed?”

“I don’t know! But that was the only thing I could think of when I heard your crazy loud snoring. Honestly, it’s terrifying.”

“Yeah, yeah, at least I don’t move around in my sleep like I’m trying to become a parkour master.”

“That…that doesn’t make sense.”

“What really doesn’t make sense is that fact that you two are sleeping together and managed to keep it a secret for so long.”

The boys jumped at the new voice that snuck up on them from behind. Allura was smiling widely, her eyes glittering with mirth. On her shoulder, two of the four mice were staring up at Keith and Lance with the same look in their eyes.

“Uh, h-hey princess.” Lance stammered. “What uh, what are you doing here? In this hall? In the middle of the night?”

Allura smiled even more sweetly. It was starting to look a little creepy. “Oh, I was just coming by to make sure Keith was all clear. It was a minor concussion, but you can never be too careful.”

Keith swallowed. “Uh, thanks Allura. I—I’m good so I’m just going to…I’m going to my room. By myself. Because that’s just…what I do. Night.”

“Oh please, Keith. Are you honestly trying to pretend like I didn’t just hear the two of you have the most adorable lovers quarrel just a few minutes ago?”

“Yes.”

“Keith wait, ah fuck—“ Lance almost had to run to catch Keith before he disappeared. He had a tendency to do that too often. Vanish into thin air whenever things were too embarrassing or he was too flustered. Lance had just barely been able to stop Keith from using this strange, totally useless superpower.

While dragging Keith along, Lance marched right back to Allura. He swallowed any fear that might have wormed its way into his chest.

“Allura.”

“Yes Lance?”

“Keith and I want to tell you something.” Lance had to take a moment and readjust his grip on Keith’s hand. He nearly managed to slip through Lance’s hold. “Chill out babe, I’ve got this. _Ahem_. Princess, Keith and I are dating. We promise to keep things professional in training, and we, um. We hope that you’re not mad or—or anything. We get it, that two paladins dating might be a big thing but, we won’t let it mess up our teamwork.”

The princess smiled kindly. “Oh Lance, of course I’m not mad. What a silly thing to say.”

Lance perked up. Next to him, Keith took a quiet breath. “So, this is okay? The two of us together?”

“Lance, Keith, your relationship is entirely up to you. Just because you’re a part of this team, a part of Voltron, doesn’t mean you have to give up on your own lives.” Allura put a delicate hand on both boys’ shoulders, smiling. “You’ve already left your homes and families behind. It would be beyond cruel of me to ask you to leave this as well.”

“So you’re not mad?” Keith asked, his voice full of hope.

“Not at all. In fact, I think it’s lovely.”

Lance laughed. “You just love the fact that you’re the first one to know.”

“I’m not denying that.” Allura giggled. “Oh, one thing I should mention is that if either one of you irreparably breaks the other heart, just know that there are many rooms in this castle. Plenty of places hidden enough where no one will find you for quite some time…”

Allura’s grip on their shoulders had turned from a soft reassurance to a crushing vice. Lance and Keith nodded quickly, both of them nervous at the princess sudden change of character.

“Good.” She finally let them go with a single pat each. “Well, it’s rather late. I’m off to bed. See you two in the morning.”

Keith and Lance watched the princess glide down the hall, humming to herself. A few minutes after she had gone, Lance turned to Keith.

“Did she just…did she just give us the shovel talk? For both of us?”

“I…I think so?” Keith mumbled. “That was kind of terrifying.”

“Tell me about.”

“Promise me something, Lance.”

“Yeah?”

“Let never break up. I really, _really_ don’t want Allura to murder one of us.”

Lance felt the butterflies in his stomach flutter. “No worries, babe. I’m not planning on leaving you anytime soon.”

“Good.” Keith sighed. “Wait, did I just—“

“Ask me to stay with you forever? Yeah, you did.” Lance grinned triumphantly.

“O-oh…uh, _gottogobye_.”

“Keith? Wait, fuck—how did you do that?! Get back here! We’re having a moment!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading <3


	6. To the boy I love now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 5 - AU/ “Well, that was unexpected.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is literally the beginning of a fic I started to write. Right after I watched "To All the Boys I Loved Before", I was figuring out how I could fit mah boys into this AU. After churning out 10,000 words, I kind of abandoned it to focus on my main fic (even though I'm moving at a glacial pace on that).  
> I re-read it a little while ago, stilled liked it and then found a way to share it for Klance Week. So here's another story I'll probably never get around to finishing, but I hope you all enjoy!

In the back of his closet, hidden inside a duffle bag with a broken zipper, Keith kept a box. It’s wasn’t spectacular looking. Just an ordinary brown box with flowing, colorful lines decorating it. Keith didn’t remember when exactly he began drawing on the box, but he does remember one thing.

He remembers the first letter.

There were five letters in total. Five letters, hidden in a colorful box and tucked away safely where no one would find it.

Five letters. Love letters. Letters that would never be sent. They weren’t meant to be seen. Not by anyone. But they still needed to be written.

Keith ignored cleaning the pile of clothes at the foot of his bed and instead nested in the middle of them like some sort of bird. The box was in his lap, but he hadn’t quiet worked up the nerve to open it yet. He only really needed to read the letters when he was feeling… _something_.

It wasn’t sadness or jealousy. It wasn’t heartache or longing. Sometimes, Keith just needed a reminder. Something tangible to remind him what it was like to be in love. What it was like to see someone and feel so swept up in them, that it was impossible to see straight.

What it was like to feel something so strongly that it became overpowering.

Crushes could be alluring, but writing letters help. It helped him deal with his crushes, deal with his overwhelming feelings, it _helped_. And with everything changing around him, Keith couldn’t help but get swept up in nostalgia.

“Keith, I swear to god, if you’re sitting in the same spot I left you in an hour ago, I’m donating _you_ to Goodwill.”

Keith jumped at Shiro’s voice, hurriedly burying the box under a pile of clothes. Mere moments later, his older brother was peering into his room, his hands on his hips.

“I’m not in the same spot.” Keith was quick to point out. 

“Moving from your bed to your floor isn’t much of an improvement.”

“But still, I moved.”

“I’m still tempted to donate you.”

“I don’t think you’ll get a tax break for donating a sarcastic teenager.” Keith smirked.

“I could try.” Shiro stepped inside and sat on Keith’s bed, stretching out. Keith joined his brother and the two of them stared at the glow in the dark stars on the ceiling.

“So.” Shiro started and Keith could already tell where the conversation was going.

“So.”

“I’m leaving tomorrow.”

Keith felt his stomach roll. “Yeah...”

“I know I’ve asked you a thousand times but, are you going to be okay?”

Keith thought for a moment, folding his hands on his stomach. His shirt felt softer than usual, probably because their mom had finally discovered fabric softener and was obsessed with it. Everything he wore felt like a freaking cloud.

“Keith?”

“I’ll be fine, Shiro.” Keith sighed. A little smile pulled at his lips. “I am actually a functioning human being, you know.”

Shiro snorted. “Tell that to the guy who had to stop you from eating a sandwich still wrapped in plastic yesterday.”

“Okay, that was all Pidge’s fault. If she hadn’t made me binge that show, I wouldn’t have been sleep deprived and would have noticed the plastic.”

“You’re still not convincing me, kiddo.”

“Shiro,” Keith sat up, looking down at his brother. “I’ll be _fine_. I’ve got mom, and Pidge and Matt live right next door. Not to mention Adam down the street.”

“I know, I know. You can’t blame me for worrying about my favorite little brother.”

“I’m your only brother. So I’m only your favorite by default.”

Shiro groaned. “Shut up and let us have a brotherly bonding moment.”

“Five minutes ago you were threatening to send me to Goodwill.”

“Yep. And that threat still stands if you don’t at least _attempt_ to clean your room. Really Keith, this is a disaster.”

“My life is a disaster.” Keith flopped back down on the bed as Shiro stood.

“You have to have a life first, bro.”

Keith threw a pillow, but Shiro was already running down the hall. For as much as he was awesome and kind, Shiro was such asshole. In a way that only a sibling could be. Keith flopped back on the bed, smiling.

He was really going to miss Shiro. Why did he have to go all the way to Scotland for school? It wasn’t like there weren’t any good schools in the states. But Keith knew, deep down, that being normal just wasn’t Shiro’s style. He was always striding ahead, pushing forward. Being the best at whatever he set his mind to. Keith didn’t think that an ordinary college could contain Shiro, or satisfy him. He just had to do something great.

After a few more minutes of putting it off, Keith rolled off his bed and began tossing things he didn’t need into the large cardboard box meant for donations. Most of the stuff littering his floor was clothes and Keith didn’t even remember wearing the stuff recently. That probably wasn’t a good sign.

After one pile had been sorted, Keith was left staring at his box again. The letter box.

Glancing at the doorway, Keith sat and slowly opened the lid.

Five letters. Five boys. Five crushes that were just too much to bare that it came pouring out of him in the form of words.

They were in order from newest to oldest:

  1. Hunk Garret
  2. James Griffin
  3. Lance McClain
  4. Ryan Kinkade
  5. Adam Wilde



The last name made him groan. His cheeks were flushed with embarrassment as he stared at the letter addressed to Adam. He had been what… eleven years old? Maybe twelve? He just remembers being young enough to still require a babysitter, but old enough to come up with compelling arguments to why he didn’t need one.

Adam was the first boy Keith really liked and thinking back on it now, he could see how. Adam was friends with Shiro (who at the time, was still just Takashi). Best friends in fact. Young Keith adored his brother, but still thought of him as a bit of a dork. But Adam? He was… _cool_. And different. And just really, really nice. 

Even though Shiro and Adam were two years older than him, they still let him tag along when they hung out. To the movies, to the mall, it was just the three of them. Even when they started dating, they always made sure that Keith didn’t feel left out.

Keith wasn’t jealous that his brother began dating Adam. By that time, Keith had already written his letter and let his feelings simmer to the surface and fade away. Going to summer camp during that time also helped. That was the summer he met Ryan Kinkade and was so distracted by his smooth, melodic voice that he dropped a molten marshmallow on his arm.

One scar and one letter later, Keith’s crush on Adam was firmly in the past. Nothing more than an innocent childhood crush.

Keith had never told Shiro that he liked Adam all those years ago. He might actually die if Adam found out now. The guy was practically family at this point and if either he or Shiro knew, it would just bring up a whole bunch of awkwardness. Keith would rather be buried under his dirty clothing pile then face that humiliation.

The rest of the letters weren’t nearly as dramatic.

Lance McClain was the boy Keith kissed after his first (and last) game of spin the bottle in middle school. It was Keith’s first kiss, so of course he felt some attachment Lance. But it was middle school, and it was _spin the bottle_. That and Keith’s best friend at the time had a crush on Lance so it kind of burned that bridge like it was made out of twine instead of steel. He lost a friend, but added another letter to his box.

James Griffin was the only person who could keep up with his scores on the _Galaga_ arcade cabinet that used to be in the diner in town. Keith couldn’t even begin to count the amount of quarters he went through playing that game with James trying to distract him from the side. Once the diner removed the game, James stopped showing up. Keith wrote a letter and moved on.

Hunk Garret was the boy he danced with at Freshman Homecoming. He was a big guy, tall and sweet. When Keith asked him to dance (which took almost a whole hour to work up the nerve to do), Hunk had given him the biggest smile, Keith felt like he could power the whole city on that smile alone. When he later found out that Hunk was interested in a girl named Shay, Keith felt the stab of another crush that would wither and die like all the ones before. So he wrote a letter and got a new friend.

Keith’s letters were his most treasured possessions. They were glimpses into his inner most thoughts. Words and feelings that coursed through him, but he never got the courage to actually say out load. His letters were precious, and Keith was the only one who knew about them. And that was how he liked it. How he stayed comfortable. How he stayed safe. 

 

* * *

 

The smell of burnt _something_ wafted through the air as Keith made his way down stairs. He could hear Shiro’s voice, calm and confidant, and their mother, sighing loudly.

“We can just trim up the sides, get rid of the burnt edges and it’ll be fine.” Shiro insisted.

“I just don’t know what I did wrong… I checked the recipe three times.” Their mother, Krolia, wasn’t a bad cook by any means. It just wasn’t her forte. Simpler meals like pastas or burgers were a breeze for Krolia. But every once in a while, she would find some fancy recipe online and attempt to make it. Those nights usually ended in charred food and takeout orders. Tonight was shaping up to be one of those nights. 

Keith strode into the open kitchen, his eyes wondering over the messy countertops. There wasn’t a clean spot in the entire kitchen.

As soon as Shiro noticed his arrival, he gave Keith a very familiar look. A look that said, _don’t say a word about the smell._

Keith crept up behind his mother and brother, taking a peek at whatever food was still smoking from the oven.

“Hey that looks…good?” Keith hoped he sounded convincing.

Krolia sighed, glancing at her two sons’ one at a time. “You two are really bad at lying, you know that?”

“We weren’t lying, Mom.” Shiro insisted. “I’m sure it’ll taste great, right Keith?”

“Yeah…the black bits will just add a smoky flavor.”

Shiro reached around and flicked Keith in the head. Krolia chuckled, turning off the oven and stepping away to open the nearest window.

“Keith, grab a candle. Let’s try to get some of the burnt smell out of the air.”

“Fixing it with more fire. Sounds good.” Keith hurried to the living room and grabbed a candle and some matches.

“Shiro, will you order some pizzas? And maybe breadsticks too.”

“Sure thing, Mom.” Shiro pulled out his phone and ordered dinner.

The three of them had a comfortable routine going over the last eight years. It had been rough for Keith at first, learning to live without his father. In some ways Keith was sure that he would never be the same. If it wasn’t for Shiro well…Keith wasn’t sure what kind of person he would have turned out to be. He probably would have been a helluva a lot more angsty. Like the typical troubled child in a movie.

But the three of them made it work. The song had changed, but they found their rhythm again.

Krolia and Keith were far more alike than most people realized. Both were more quiet, more thoughtful, and Krolia had a ‘no bullshit’ attitude that she (un)fortunately passed on to her youngest son. Shiro was more like their dad, Jack. Bigger with more stern features, but always ready with a smile and kind words. Their family was made up of two very distinct personalities that somehow blended together beautifully. It was a balance, one that was about to be shaken up again. 

Keith would be lying if said he wasn’t worried about Shiro leaving, but he knew that him and his mom would be fine. They both knew how to adapt.

The pizza arrived moments before the Holt’s did. Keith roped Pidge into helping set the table while Matt practically threw himself at Shiro, lamenting that his best friend was abandoning him.

“What am I going to do on the weekends?!” Matt cried, draping himself on the kitchen island. “I only have two friends, and like Pidge has said over and over again, she doesn’t count because she’s my sister.”

“Siblings do not equal friends!” Pidge shouted. Keith elbowed her, giving her a look. Both of them knew she was lying. Keith and Pidge were both insanely close to their older siblings. So much so that people thought it was weird that they all got along so well.

Pidge was lucky though. Her brother was going to school in state. She could take a two hour bus ride and visit him whenever she wanted. Keith didn’t have that option.

He wasn’t jealous.

…okay maybe he was a little jealous.

Once the table was set up and the pizza boxes placed in the center, everyone sat down to dig in.

Krolia paused, “Matt, Pidge, aren’t your parents coming?”

“Nope.” Matt shrugged. “Dad is working late tonight and Mom has book club. She said she’d drop by tomorrow morning before you leave to say goodbye to Shiro.”

“Aw she doesn’t have to do that.” Shiro insisted, but judging by the smile he was wearing he probably thought it was very sweet.

“Well good luck trying to stop her. I think she’s more depressed about you leaving for college then me.”

“You’re only going to the next town over.” Pidge pointed out. “And you already said you’d be back in a month to marathon that BBC special with Dad. Shiro’s probably not going to come back until he graduates.”

Keith tried not to choke on a pepper. They hadn’t actually discussed when Shiro would be back to visit. It’s not like their family was made of money. All those flights could get expensive.

“I’ll be back for the holidays.” Shiro rolled his eyes. “It’s not like I’m going to be stranded on an island for four years.”

“Technically—“

Matt cut her off. “Eat your food, Pidge before I feed it to Rover.”

Pidge glared at her brother, not-so-subtly hunching over her plate.

After a few minutes of idle conversation, Keith realized that the chair next to Shiro was noticeably empty. _Adam’s_ chair was empty.

Keith tried not to react, but it was so weird. Shiro and Adam had been dating for three years. This was Shiro’s last night in town. It made absolutely no sense why Adam wasn’t in his usual seat. Keith glanced at his mom, trying to get her attention without bringing attention to himself.

Krolia caught her sons eye, frowning for a moment. Keith motioned to the empty chair. A look of understanding passed Krolia’s eye. Her smile faded to something a little more sad. Krolia looked at Keith once more and shook her head.

 _What the hell does that mean_ , Keith thought. His gaze snapped over to him brother, who was currently trying not to spit out pizza while Matt made him laugh like a madman.

The rest of the night, Keith forced himself to smile and relax. This was the last night they would all be together like this and Keith didn’t want to ruin it with his own sour mood and horrible curiosity. Then again, since it was their last night, why the hell didn’t Shiro invite Adam?

The Holt siblings left long after the last of the pizza had been eaten. Matt had to be pried off of Shiro by a very tired Pidge and Keith was coerced in to cleaning the kitchen after his dumb brother complained about not being fully packed.

Once the night finally settled, Keith tiptoed to Shiro’s room.

The hall was dark, the only light a soft yellow glow coming from underneath Shiro’s door. He was probably reorganizing his backpack for the hundredth time this week.

Keith gently knocked, pulling at his sleep shirt with his free hand. A moment later, Shiro let him in.

They didn’t talk right away. Keith just sat on the edge of Shiro’s bed and watched as he moved around his room. The room wasn’t empty, but it felt like it. All of the furniture was in the exact same place, the walls the same color, but it felt almost foreign.

The most important parts of that room were packed up in two large suitcases. Like the pictures of their friends and family. The books Keith had gotten for him over the years. The lumpy scarf their mother knitted when she decided that she needed a ‘normal’ hobby. (Apparently, collecting knives wasn’t considered a normal hobby by the members of the PTA. Keith still had no idea why his mom insists on being a part of such an uptight group of suburban moms.)

At that moment, Keith felt like something was truly coming to an end. It…it was more potent then he realized. He’d known for nearly a year that Shiro was moving to Europe. All this change was expected. Keith had prepared for it. But he hadn’t prepared for one thing.

“Hey, Shiro?” His voice sounded so rough against the quiet music filling the air.

“What’s up?” He didn’t turn as he spoke. Shiro was too busy trying to fit an extra book into his backpack.

Keith took breath. “Why wasn’t Adam at dinner tonight?”

The sigh that escaped his brothers’ mouth made him sound so much older then he actually was. It took a while for him to answer. So long in fact that Keith got restless and had to stretch out his legs. Finally, after putting it off long enough, Shiro fell back on the bed next to his little brother.

“We…we broke up.”

Keith’s brain short circuited for a second. “Uh…wait what? I think I’m hallucinating or…having a stroke or something else insane because that sentence literally made no sense.”

“You’re much more dramatic than people realize. And you heard me right, Adam and I broke up.”

“What the fuck.”

“Hey, watch your language.”

“Seriously, Shiro. What the _fuck_.”

“Why do I bother.” Shiro sighed, a little laughter in his voice.

Keith wanted to smack him. “You guys broke up? But…but you _love_ him? You do, don’t you?”

Shiro pushed himself up, running a hand down his face. “Yes Keith, I do—“

“Then why? Why aren’t you together?”

“Because I’m leaving, Keith. I’m going to Europe tomorrow and I won’t be back for months.”

“So? I don’t get what the issue is here?”

Shiro looked at him like he was still eight years old. Too young and too wild to sit down and listen. It bugged Keith to no end.

“Long distance is hard, Keith.” He explained carefully. “Adam and I knew that and we talked about it over and over again but…”

“But _what_?”

“…we thought it might be better to just…to just—“

“Not try at all?” Keith didn’t mean to sound so harsh, and thankfully Shiro seemed to understand that. He ruffled Keith’s hair, letting his hand drop to his shoulder so that he could pull his little brother into a side hug.

“There’s a lot more than just the distance, kiddo. You’ll understand one day.”

Keith couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Why do you constantly sound like some fifty year old man?”

“Because I’m full of wisdom.” Shiro spoke with such a deadpan expression that Keith couldn’t help but smile a little.

“I still don’t get it.” Keith grumbled. “Shouldn’t be enough? Just to love someone?”

Shiro sighed, long and deep. His voice was hesitate when he spoke. “It should, your right but…I guess you could say sometimes things get in the way. You have to figure out what’s best for you in that moment. And sometimes…sometimes in order to be happy, you have to be alone sometimes. You have to figure out who you are all over again.”

“That kind of makes it sound like Adam was holding you back. Like he was making you feel, I don’t know, stuck? I’m not sure that’s the right word…”

“It fine, I think I get what you mean. But no, Adam and I have been talking about this all summer. We knew college was going to be hard, and at first we were going to do the whole long distance thing. I think along the way, we realized that our dreams were bigger than we thought. That we needed to focus on that for a while instead of spreading ourselves too thin.”

Keith frowned. “You make dating sound like a job.”

“It is, in a way.” Shiro relented. “I wouldn’t use the word ‘job’, but you still have to dedicate time to it. Work on things that you might not want to do. Relationships are all kind of like that. Just because your friends with someone, doesn’t mean you don’t have to put effort into things, you know?”

“I guess…? This conversation is getting way too deep for me.”

Shiro chuckled. “Hey you asked a complicated question, buddy. It takes more than just a few words to give you a full answer. Hey, want to lighting things up? We can head downstairs and play Mario Kart?”

Keith grinned. “We’re playing through all the tournaments.” 

“Keith, that will take _hours_.”

“Well, you’re going to be gone for months. Think of this like a last hurrah or some shit.”

“Language.”

“Whatever.”

The two brothers stood, pushing and shoving each other to the door and racing down the stairs. They fought over the better controller, nearly crushing it as they wrestled on the couch. Once they were settled, Keith nudged his brother’s shoulder.

“I…I’m going to miss this. And you, I guess.”

Shiro laughed. “I’m going to miss beating you in Mario Kart too, Keith.”

“Jerk.”

“Love you too, little bro.”

 

* * *

 

Taking Shiro to the airport was a surreal thing. Keith couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that he wasn’t going to be seeing his brother every day. Then again, Skype was a thing and Keith was pretty sure he was just overacting. It’s not like he was losing his brother. Shiro would always be there. And no matter the time of day, he would drop everything to help his little brother.

Shiro would also take every opportunity to scold Keith too.

Keith looked around his room, eyeing the half empty box near the door. Shiro had threaten to sit on him the next time they saw each other if Keith didn’t at _least_ fill the box for donations. Keith poked the cardboard box with his toe, glancing around to see what else he could fit inside. He made a pile on the floor, kicking some random backpack and jacket into the haphazard mound.

Once satisfied, Keith hoisted up the pile up in his arms and shoved it in the box. It was overflowing, and Keith practically had to jump on it to get it to close.

With his one chore done, Keith grabbed the book from his bedside table and flopped down on his bed. He only had a few more chapters left.

 

* * *

 

“I refuse to ride with you in that death trap.” Pidge’s backpack was nearly as big as she was. She looked more like a kid on their first day of grade school instead of a freshman in high school.

Keith had barely made it out the front door and already he wanted to duck back inside and go back to sleep. First day of school and already it sucked.

“My car is not a death trap, Pidge. You never argued when Shiro drove it.”

“Yeah that’s because Shiro can actually _drive_. You’re a manic behind the wheel.”

“Well then you can walk.” He said flatly. Pidge tapped her cheek with her finger, snapping suddenly with a mischievous grin.

“Be right back!”

Keith watched her run back to her house. She nearly ran smack into her dad as he was opening the front door. It took an amazing amount of restraint for Keith not to just hop in the car and leave her. It’s not like he was a bad driver. He was just…fast. And a little reckless maybe? It wasn’t his fault that all the other cars got in his way.

“Keith? You forgot your lunch.” Krolia only had about half of her makeup done as she hurried outside.

“Are you going to be alright driving?” she asked for the fifth time that morning.

“I’ll be fine, Mom. I’m a great driver.”

“Tell that the bumper on my last car.”

“Low blow, Mom.”

“I’m only telling the truth. But don’t worry, I know you’ll be safe.” She reached up and smoothed down his hair. An old habit that Keith secretly loved. “Wait a minute, where’s Pidge?”

Keith shrugged. “Don’t know. She ran back to her place…what the _hell_.”

“Language.” But Krolia’s scolding was washed away by her following laughter.

“Okay! I’m all set!” Pidge chirped happily. On her head was a bike helmet that had to be from when she was a little kid. It was bright purple with colorful stripes and a glittering heart shaped sticker on the side. Keith couldn’t even remember the last time he saw her ride a bike.

“Pidge. What the _fuc_ — I mean hell. Pidge, what the hell?” Keith glared at his friend, avoiding his mother’s keen eye.

“Nice save, but still not great. Watch you language around your dear old mother.” Krolia smiled while she spoke, not too concerned with her son’s vocabulary. She turned her attention to Pidge. “Why the helmet, Pidge?”

“Protection! We don’t want another bumper incident, do we?”

Keith didn’t even bother coming up with a response. He almost missed Pidge high-fiving his mother as he settled into the driver’s seat.

This was going to be an interesting school year.

 

* * *

 

As far as first days go, this one wasn’t so bad. In fact, it was pretty average. Since Pidge was a freshmen they didn’t have any classes, but it was nice to have someone else to sit with at lunch. 

Keith wouldn’t say he didn’t have friends, but he just didn’t have a ton of close friends. There was Hunk, who was still incredibly kind and would say ‘hi’ every time he saw Keith. But they weren’t _friend_ friends. More like friendly acquaintances. Hunk had his own friend group and Keith never wanted to intrude.

He had Allura, who besides Pidge, was probably his best friend.

Allura was the exact opposite of Keith in every way. She was beautiful and sweet, not afraid to speak her mind at all times and practically oozing confidence. Keith, on the other hand, never gave much thought into what he looked like and tended to come off a little gruff, if Pidge was right (and she usually was). Keith still didn’t really know why Allura stuck around, but she was definitely a breath of fresh air.

The only problem with hanging out with Allura so much was the risk of running into her cousin, Romelle.

Romelle used to be Keith’s best friend. BBF’s or whatever. Way back in the day, back in the turbulent time of middle school, Rom and Keith were never far apart from each other. Until one fateful night, at a party where a handful of their classmates were circled around a bottle, their friendship ended.

That was the night Keith played spin the bottle and ended up kissing Lance, the boy that Romelle had told him over and over again that she had a crush on.

Keith remembers the feeling. Watching the bottle spin and spin and spin, his stomach twisting just as much. When it landed on Lance, Keith thought Lance was going to insist he spin again. He thought that Lance would say kissing a boy would be gross. But he didn’t. He just smiled, a big toothy smile that ate up half his face. Keith couldn’t help but give a tentative smile back.

That was until Romelle nudged his knee. Keith was snapped back and stared at the bottle like it had played a trick on him.

_‘I-I can spin it again.’_

_‘It’s alright. I don’t mind.’_ Lance had crawled across the space, smiling all the way until their lips touched.

It was a peck, nothing more, but it ended Keith’s friendship with Romelle. And Keith? He got a huge crush and the urge to write.

The spin the bottle incident was years ago, but Romelle still seemed to hold it against him. Why? Keith literally had no idea, especially since she and Lance had been dating for the last two years. The stupid game they all played way back when had not hindered Romelle’s chances at all. Keith was pretty sure that he wasn’t so much as a blip in the eyes of the ever charismatic Lance McClain.

That boy was one of the most popular people in school. He was confident and loud and didn’t care what people thought of him. He was on the swim team, played viola in the orchestra and even had a role in the musical last year. Lance was the type of person who jumped around the social cliques like a bouncy ball hurled at a brick wall.He was nice. Cool. Smart. And apparently, that wasn’t enough for Romelle anymore.

It was the hot topic all across campus. Romelle and Lance, one of the school’s major couples, broke up over the summer. Neither one of them is saying why, but according to the rumor mill, someone had seen Romelle at the movies with a mysterious college boy.At least that’s what Allura said. As soon as Keith stepped on campus, his friend was pulling him into the bushes and whispering the latest gossip in his ear like it was a national secret. She didn’t even say hello before she started rambling. Allura’s hyper tendencies rarely came out, if ever, and Keith found those moments immensely amusing.

After the school day had ended and Keith was already dreading the assignments his teachers passed out, Keith waited for Pidge outside her last class. The bell had rung at least ten minute ago, but she was still inside. Probably already bombarding the teacher with questions about the semester. That girl loved questions.

“Why hello there.” Keith looked up from his phone to see Allura striding up to him. Her hair was pulled up in a high pony tail, but it was still long enough to reach her mid-back.

“What are you doing here? Don’t you usually book it as soon as the last bell rings?” He asked.

“True, but I decided to take my time today. You know, smell the roses?”

Keith frowned. “I can tell when you’re up to something y’know. You’re not that subtle.”

“I would pretend to act offended, but I’m tired.”

“It’s the first day, Lura. How are you already tired?”

“I’m still in summer mode, Keith. Anyways, I just wanted to make sure my cousin didn’t get to you today.”

Keith groaned, sliding down the wall to sit on the floor. “I can take a little teasing. Besides, backhanded compliments aren’t really all that bad.”

“I know I just— _ugh_ she can be a bit of a brat sometimes.”

“Are you thinking of the Ballerina Barbie incident? You guy were six, Lura.”

“And it was a pinnacle moment in my childhood. Clearly I have been scarred for life.”

 “Since when did you become so dramatic?”

“I’ve always maintained a strict level of drama, thank you very much.”

“And here I just thought it was our teenage hormones driving our emotions wild.”

“That’s just adult propaganda.”

Pidge walked out of her class room in the middle of this debate. 

Allura walked with them to the parking lot and then headed to her own car. Once Keith had settled in the driver’s seat, he turned to see Pidge putting on the damn helmet again.

“You’re actually going to wear that? Every day?”

“Of course I am.” The snap of the buckle made Keith groan. “I’ve got to be prepared. What if some trucker looks at you wrong and you decide to race him? And don’t pretend that hasn’t happened.”

Keith shoved the key into the ignition and turned. “It was one time and that guy was a jerk.”

“One time is enough.”

Keith began pulling out of the spot, checking his mirrors at the last second. That was exactly when he saw a tall figure walking behind the car.

“Oh _shit_ —“ Keith slammed on the brakes, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

“Oh my…Keith! You are a _disaster_.” Pidge started laughing, clutching her stomach.

“Not a word, Pidge.”

Pidge glanced over to him, her attention immediately going to the window. “I think someone wants a few words.”

Moments later, there was a knock on his window. Keith jumped, his eyes darting to the figure at the window and then falling back down to his lap. Lance’s arched brow and lazy smile had somehow burned itself into Keith’s brain in the half a second he saw them. Taking a deep breath, Keith rolled down his window.

“Hi.” Lance leaned on the car, smiling despite the fact that Keith nearly ran him over. “How’s it going, Kogane?”

“Fine.” Keith just wanted to die. Right there. In the moment. Holy shit this was mortifying.

“So, you know you almost hit me, right?”

“I am aware.” A pause. “Sorry?”

Lance chuckled. He was close. Really close. Wasn’t this crush dead and gone? He’s feelings all summed up in a letter and sealed away? Maybe Keith’s heart was pounding because he very nearly almost hit someone with his car. Yeah, that was it.

“Y’know,” Lance was talking again and Keith spared him a look. “people typically use their mirrors or even turn around to check and , oh I don’t know, see if there about to run someone over?”

“I’m uh, well aware.”

“Cool. Think you can make it out of the parking lot without killing anyone?”

“Uh yes? Yeah I can do that.”

“Great! Also, you,” Lance pointed to Pidge (who was practically dying in her seat). “I like the helmet. Smart choice.”

“Thanks. Sorry my dumb friend almost ran you over.”

“No worries. Just make sure he doesn’t do it again. My mom would be pissed if I died.”

Lance turned back to Keith, his expression cool and almost playful. “You’ve got smart friends, Kogane. See you around.”

Keith stuttered out some sort of goodbye and then rolled up his window. He could see the way Lance’s broad shoulders bounced as he walked away.

“Wasn’t that Spin the Bottle Guy?” Pidge asked. She was still biting back her laugh, the traitor.

Keith dropped his head on the steering wheel. “Yeah. That was Lance McClain.”

“Wow. I can’t believe you almost ran over the first guy you ever kissed.”

Instead of saying anything, Keith put the car in park.

“Um, Keith? What are you doing?”

“We’re waiting till all the other cars leave.”

“Ugh. You’re ridiculous”

 

* * *

 

Keith had found his rhythm again. It was weird, trying to deal with the space that his brother left behind, but it was okay. Keith was okay. His mom was okay. They were doing okay.

Pidge, however, wasn’t convinced.

“They should have just ended the show when the creator left. Now it’s in like its tenth season. It needs to die.” Pidge was upside down on the couch in his living room.

Krolia and Pidge’s parents were at some neighborhood party and it was just the two of them all afternoon. They filled that afternoon with brownies and a Supernatural marathon.

“Couldn’t agree more.” Keith grumbled. He was one of the suckers who actually tried to collect the box sets for the show, but gave up after the seventh. Currently, they were re-watching the first season.

“Like, it had such a good thing going, y’know? Different story every week, different monster, no complicated angels and demons. It was like a different mini scary movie each episode and it was awesome.”

Keith nudged the plate of brownies towards her. “Calm down and eat a brownie.”

“You know I’m right.”

He smiled fondly at his friend. She teased him a lot and sometime drove him crazy, but Keith loved having Pidge as a friend. She never failed to make him smile. 

The episode played on, both of them not bothered by the jump scares or the creepy atmosphere. They’d watched the first season too many times to count.

Keith eventually brought more snacks out as Pidge changed discs.

“So…how are you?”

Keith frowned, looking over at Pidge from where he was standing in the kitchen. “…fine…what’s with the random question?”

Pidge shrugged. “Just asking. Can’t I ask questions?”

“Yeah…but not weird questions in the middle of the afternoon when we’ve been binging Supernatural all day. Are _you_ okay?”

“Shut it, weirdo, I’m fine.” Pidge sat on the edge of the couch, her smaller hands twisting the upholstery. “I just— I just wanted to make sure you weren’t lonely, y’know? Since Shiro is gone and all.”

Keith felt a little warmth pool in his chest at the thought of Pidge worrying about him. She didn’t show her caring side too often. Or really, she showed it in different ways that most people wouldn’t recognize.

After he filled a bowl with chips, Keith made his way back to the couch.

“I’m fine, Pidge. Really. Thanks for caring though.”

“Don’t get used to it.” She grumbled. Pidge shuffled back until she was comfortable and started the next episode. “Are you sure you’re not lonely? I mean, you only have like two friends.”

“Ouch, Pidge.”

“You know it’s true.” She pushed. “This is weird for me to say, but I’m kind of worried about you.”

“What? Why?”

“For all the reasons I already said? Pay attention.” Pidge turned so that she was sitting sideways on the couch. Her gaze was all the more intense with her glasses magnifying her eyes. “You, Keith Kogane, need to change things up.”

Keith effortlessly dropped into the most deadpanned expression he had. “No.”

“I’m serious! You need a new friend or a boyfriend or _something_! Even I have more friends than you and we both know that I am just as socially awkward and introverted as you are.”

“I don’t need a change, Pidge. I’m happy the way things are.” He insisted.

“But don’t you want more? More than just ‘happy’?”

“Isn’t that supposed to be the end goal here? Happily ever after, or whatever?”

Pidge sighed, her shoulders slouching. “That’s for fairy tales, Keith. Life is a lot more complicated than that. It’s better too.”

“Since when did you become a philosopher?”

Pidge snorted. “My knowledge doesn’t stop at computers, dude.”

The conversation petered out after that, but Pidge’s words floated around his head for the rest of the night. Eventually, Keith melted into the couch, his lazy day turning into a lazy night. He fell asleep with Pidge sitting next to him and the TV lighting up the living room.

_…what else was there? What waited beyond happily ever after?_

 

* * *

 

The only reason Keith ran track was because it gave him an opportunity to burn off all his restless energy. His mom suggested lacrosse, but there was something relaxing about just running. Other sports had rules and shouting and teammates and just, noise, noise, noise. Keith liked being a part of a team, but he also really liked the fact that he didn’t actually have to work with anyone. He didn’t have to rely on anyone to win. Just himself.

And while the rest of his team ran along in groups ahead of him, Keith set his own pace. His feet pounded against the track. A steady thump thump thump that never quiet matched his heart beat. His mind was a haze of loose thoughts and ideas, never really solidifying into anything. Keith nearly jumped out of his skin when Allura jogged up beside him.

“I don’t…understand…why you like this!” She wheezed. Her tennis shoes were still a vibrant pink. Evidence that they had barely been used.

“You didn’t have to run with me.” He said back, his voice more controlled. “I thought you were going to do weight training in the gym?”

“Too many…smelly boys…goodness I’m out of shape!”

“No you’re not. You’re just not good at running.”

Allura kept pace for one more lap before she started actually wheezing. Just as Keith was about to tell her to grab some water, a voice shouted out behind them.

“Hey! Kogane!”

Keith turned, slowing down to stop. Allura looked grateful for all of two seconds before it was consumed by confusion.

“Is that Lance? What’s he doing here?”

Keith shrugged, just as confused as they waited for Lance to catch up with them.

“Damn you’re fast…” Lance murmured. There was something clutched in his hand but Keith couldn’t quiet see it. Lance greeted them both in turn. “Hey Keith, Allura. Uh, Allura, do you mind if I talk to Keith alone for a bit?”

Keith and Allura shared a look, both of them utterly confused.

“Sure. I’ve got to be going anyway. I’m pretty sure I’ve met my quota for running for the entire year in fact.” She snuck a glance at Lance one more time before slowly making her way off the track. “Text me later Keith. You promised to help me dye my hair before the concert tomorrow.”

“Yeah, yeah I know. See you later, Lura.” Keith waved to his friend as she hurried along. He half wished that he was leaving with her. Why in the world was Lance McClain talking to him? They didn’t _talk_. Not unless they had too. Keith couldn’t think of one moment he had a conversation with Lance that didn’t revolve around some group project or something similar. Or, y’know, almost running him over with a car a few weeks ago but that was different.

“So…what’s up?” Keith asked, not even bother trying to hide his confusion.

Lance hesitated, the paper in his hand crinkling (Keith still couldn’t see what it was). “Look…Keith I’m really flattered and all but it just, not going to happen. Oh damn, that sounded way harsher than I thought...”

Keith’s mind was just one giant question mark. “Uh, what?”

“I’m sorry, it’s just, Rom and I _just_ broke up this summer and like—“

“What does that have to do with me?”

Lance sighed. “It’s just, I know that it probably took a lot of courage to write that letter, let alone send it, but it’s just not the best time right now…”

Keith didn’t hear anything else Lance said past the word ‘letter’. His mind had gone from completely confused to _Kill Bill_ sirens wailing in his ear. His eyes felt like they were bugging out of his head when he finally realized what Lance was holding.

A blue envelope with careful handwriting. His name in the corner, Lance’s name in bold print on the front.

“I-I,” Keith felt like he was just hit by a torpedo. “I think I’m going pass out. Yep. Going down—“

Keith felt his legs turn to jelly and fold underneath him. He never made it fully to the ground, somehow able to keep himself from passing out fully to just slightly crumbling under the weight of his disbelief and mortification.

_How in the hell did his letter get to Lance?_

_If-if one letter made it out then—_

_What about the rest?!_

“-eith? Keith are you okay?”

Keith blinked, the track rapidly coming into focus under him. His voice was still MIA, along with the better part of his sanity.

“Hey man, just sit back.” Lance…why was Lance still here? Right the letter. The letter he should have never gotten. The letter that is still in his hand _holy shit how did this happen_?!

“L-Lance? Where did you…?” But before Keith could finish his question, something else caught his eye. Or to be more accurate, some _one_. 

It was Adam. Shiro’s ex-boyfriend Adam. Adam who probably supposed to be in class at the college down town but instead was here, holding a goddamn letter in his hand.

“Oh shit.”

“Excuse me?” Lance looked half amused and half worried. But Keith couldn’t focus on that right now because Adam had spotted him.

“Oh _shit_.”

Adam was coming. He had a letter. He thought—he thought that Keith _sent that letter_. Nope, this couldn’t happen. This could. Not. Happen.

Panic. No, worse the panic. What’s worse than panic? Keith. Keith Kogane is worse than panic.

Adam was coming. Lance was still trying to talk to him. Adam…shit Keith had to do _something_.

Keith did the only thing he could do. The only thing that would make Lance stop talking and stop Adam from coming over. He just prayed Lance wouldn’t punch him for it.

Catching Lance off guard, Keith practically lunged at him. Keith tried to remember all the kisses he’d seen in movies or read in books. He tried to make it seem real.

Lance made a funny little sound as the two of them fell back on the track, but he didn’t push Keith off. He seemed too shocked to do much other than let himself be kissed. And maybe…was he kissing back?

The track coach was yelling up a storm at the two of them. A group of runners had stopped to either laugh at the two of them or cheer them on. Even more mortified then before, Keith pushed himself off of Lance, taking a moment to stare down at his blown eyes and utterly confused expression (we’re his eyes always blue?)

“Well, _that_ was unexpected.” Lance’s voice sounded breathy and soft. Keith could have sworn he felt a shiver trail down his spine.

“Uh…thanks?” Keith jumped to his feet before Lance had a chance to say anything. He took off running, relived to see Adam practically frozen in his tracks.

This was…okay it wasn’t good, but it bought him time. Time to figure out what the hell was going on.

 

* * *

 

“Mom have you seen a box, like a shoe box in my room with a bunch of doodles on it?!” Keith had just run up the stairs and back down again in what felt like seconds. The letter box was not in its usual spot and Keith nearly screamed.

Krolia continued chopping vegetables with no sense of urgency. “No hello, how you doing, just running straight passed your mother while she’s trying to make you a healthy dinner…”

“Mom!”

She sighed. “No Keith, I haven’t seen your box.”

“Where is it!?”

“I’d tell you if I knew, honey. Maybe it went out with the Goodwill boxes?”

Keith’s mind went white. Could it…? No, Keith was always _so_ careful with his letters. There’s no way.

“Keith, are you okay?”

“Nope. This is it. This is end of my life as I know it. Can I move to Scotland with Shiro now?”

Krolia set aside her vegetables and slowly made her way out of the kitchen. “Okay you’re kind of starting to worry me now, Keith. Is something wrong?”

Keith froze. He hated making his mom worry. She had enough to deal with. Working full time and raising two boys. She didn’t need any more stress.

“N-no its nothing. Nothing major just, dumb high school stuff.”

His mother stared at him. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. Positive. I just—overreacted a little.”

“Okay…just remember you can talk to me about things. Even if its dumb high school stuff.”

In lieu of answering, Keith hugged his mom tightly. He didn’t trust his voice not to give away the absolute shit show he was currently wading through.

Keith hurried upstairs to his room. He paced from one end to the other, kicking random things out of his way as he cleared a path.

This was a mess. And absolute _mess_. And honestly? Moving to Scotland still sounded like the best idea.

“Keith?” His mother shouted from downstairs “Adam’s here!”

“Son of a—“ Keith scrambled around his room. He ripped the charging cable out of his phone and double checked to make sure he had his wallet. There was no way in hell he was prepared to deal with this.

Keith clamored out his window. At the last second, his foot caught on the sill and sent him rolling off the roof before falling into a bush. Keith hopped up moments later, groaning. He quickly dashed around the house and grabbed his bike. In a matter of seconds he was speeding down the street, running away from his problems twice in the same day.

 

* * *

 

Keith had drained two glasses of root beer in less than ten minutes. He thought about getting a float, but then he’d actually start to feel pathetic if he started shoveling ice cream in his mouth.

The seat a few spots down from him squeaked. “Y’know if you keep frowning like that, you’re going to get wrinkles really soon, buddy.”

Root beer almost came out of Keith’s nose. “L-Lance? What the—“

“Oh Keith, can I get your friend something to drink?” the waitress, Tammy appear out of flipping nowhere. She had been working at the diner for as long as Keith could remember and had known his parents for even longer.

“He’s not my friend.” Keith blurted.

“Ouch, harsh Kogane.” Lance chuckled. “I’ll have a chocolate shake, please.”

The waitress smiled, patting Keith on the shoulder as she left. And now, he was alone. With Lance. The boy he just made out with an hour ago. _Shit_.

“Okay so, I just gonna jump into this because I’m like, fifty percent worried that you’re going to run again—“

“Wait, what?”

“— Keith. I want to make sure that this is completely clear.” Lance rubbed the back of his neck. He looked…uncomfortable? Maybe? His tone was definitely more serious than Keith was used to hearing. Then again, getting a random love letter after your girlfriend broke up with you could put anyone in a somber mood.

That and well…the kiss.

Lance ran a hand through this hair before he spoke again. “You’re…awesome and I’m super sorry, but I just don’t really think that—“

“Are you trying to turn me down right now?” Keith interrupted.

Lance blinked. “Well, yeah? Cuz like, back at school it just didn’t really seem like you heard me? Actually I’m pretty positive you didn’t because well, you practically tackled me—”

Keith shook his head. Mortified just didn’t seem to cut it anymore. “Lance, stop talking. Look, I’m not trying to date you.”

“Are you sure, because that kiss kinda said something else. Not to mention the letter.”

Keith felt his face flush. The waitress came back moments later with Lance’s milkshake. It gave Keith a moment to collect his thoughts.

“Okay so first off, those letters were never supposed to be sent. I don’t like you like that anymore.”

“Ouch, but go on.”

Keith huffed. “Look, the only reason I kissed you was because I needed to make it _seem_ like I liked you so someone else wouldn’t think I liked _them_.”

Lance’s chin was perched on his hand as he stared at Keith. “This is so much more complicated than I thought.”

“Yeah. Sorry again.”

“Wait a minute, you said letters? You mean there’s more than one?”

Keith fought the urge to bang his head on the counter. “Y-yeah.”

“Well now I’m hurt, Kogane. You think you’re special, getting a love letter but turns out you sent _two_ …”

“Um actually, I wrote five letters.”

“Five? Damn Kogane, you’re a player! I had no idea.”

“N-no that’s not—ugh.” Keith buried his head in his arms and finally lay on the counter. “This is a nightmare.”

Lance spun on his seat, sipping his milkshake and looking a Keith. His eyes were bursting with curiosity and Keith could just see the question on the tip of his tongue.

“No.” Keith said flatly.

“You don’t even know what I was say!” Lance argued. It was hard to miss the small smile on his lips. It only aggravated Keith more.

“You were going to ask who else got a letter.”

“Actually that was my second question. My first question was who were you trying to fool?”

Keith felt his throat clench. He really did not want to go into details.

“Can’t we just, I don’t know, forget this every happened?”

Lance outright smirked and in an instant Keith could see the charming popular boy that everyone knew. While movies and books make the high school hierarchy seem more cut throat then it actually is, it would be dumb to think that Lance didn’t have some sway over their peers. Much more than Keith had anyway.  

So Keith wasn’t really surprised that Lance was trying to use that cocky smile to coax more information out of him.

“See, I can’t forget now.” Lance grinned. “I’m curious to a fault. If don’t know, I’ll probably combust.”

“…that would probably solve some of my problems…” Keith mumbled.

“I’m going to ignore that. If you answer my questions and sate my curiosity, I’ll leave you alone.”

“And what happens if I don’t?”

Lance shrugged. “Not too much. But I mean, a lot of people saw you kiss me. People are going to start asking questions and you owe me, Kogane. It’s going to be hard to convince everyone at school that you don’t have a tattoo of my face on your ass.”

Turns out, root beer burns when it comes shooting out your nose. Keith sputtered, quickly grabbing a handful of napkins. Lance simply sipped his milkshake while Keith tried to regain some sort of composer. 

“Wh-why would you _say_ that?” Keith gasped. “Who would even think that anyway!?”

“I don’t know, but there have been weirder rumors at our school.”

“Okay look, if I tell you will you stop bothering me?”

Lance shrugged. “Not a guarantee, but it’ll increase your chances.” 

“Okay fine…it was Adam Wilde.”

“Why does that name sound familiar…wait. Shit isn’t that guy dating your brother?” Lance squawked. It was literally a squawk. Wasn’t this guy supposed to be cool?

“He _dated_ my brother. In the past. But i-it’s not like I want to date him! He’d practically family now and it—look I just didn’t feel like suffering through two embarrassing moments in one day.”

“Hey no worries man, I can totally understand that. Honestly, if I were you I’d probably be held up in my room for the next month.”

Keith cracked a smile.

“Soooo,” Lance slid to the next seat. Now there was only one in between them. “Who were the other lucky guys to get a letter?”

Keith sighed. “Besides you and Adam, a guy I met at summer camp, another one who I met here and then Hunk Garret.”

“Aw Hunk? I love that guy! Wait, I thought he was straight?”

“He is. And he had a girlfriend. And—oh god what is going to say when he reads that letter?”

“Chill out, Kogane. Hunk is too much of sweetheart to doing anything mean. The man is practically a marshmallow. If anything, he’d probably be really flattered.”

Keith’s panicked pulse slow a bit at those words. Hunk really was too nice of a guy to make a big deal about it.

“I guess you’re right. Still, I am not looking forward to that conversation tomorrow.” Keith pushed his soda away and folded his arms on the counter. School was going to be a nightmare tomorrow.

With another long sigh, Keith turned to Lance. “Sorry about all this. And about the um…kiss.”

Lance shrugged. “It’s cool. By the way, not to like embarrass you even more, but you are one hell of a kisser. A solid nine out of ten, my good man.”

Keith couldn’t help but chuckle, burying his face into his arms. God dammit, this boy was still so charming. How could he be this unruffled after the catastrophe that was this afternoon? Chalk it all up to his popular boy status and endless amounts of confidence. The bastard.

“Y’know, I heard that Rom nearly blew a gasket when she heard you kissed me.” Lance tapped his bottom lip. “My buddy said that she got a really weird look on her face and stormed out of her dance practice.”

“Ah…sorry.” Keith grumbled. “I didn’t mean to mess things up with your ex.”

“It’s cool. She just really doesn’t like you for some reason. Ah, sorry if that sounded harsh.”

“It’s fine. I am well aware of her ‘I hate Keith’ campaign.”

Lance twisted in his seat, his eyes full of curiosity once again. Keith was quickly learning that that was a very dangerous look.

“Before you ask, no. I think I shared enough with you today. I’m not about to dive into why Romelle and I don’t get along anymore.” Keith pulled out a few dollar bills from his wallet and stood. “I think I’m just going to go home and scream into my pillow for a few hours.”

“Charming.” Lance grinned.

“I’m…not trying to be?”

“Man, you really don’t pick up on jokes sometimes, huh?”

“I don’t even know what to say to that.”

Lance chuckled, placing some money on the counter. Keith left the diner with Lance right on his heels. The other boy was being oddly quiet after their conversation. Keith expected more chatter or teasing or something, but Lance was silent. It wasn’t until Keith was unlocking his bike that Lance finally spoke.

“I think I have an idea.”

“I can already tell you it’s a terrible one.” Keith grumbled as he twisted the key in his bike lock. It was giving him more trouble than usual.

“Hear me out, Kogane. What if you and I make the most out of this situation?”

Keith turned. “What?”

“Look, I’m not going to lie. Hearing that Romelle was jealous kind of made me feel good. It’s a super shitty thing of me to say, but she broke up with me out of the blue. I…I wasn’t ready for it all to end.”

Keith was quiet. He wasn’t sure what to do with this quieter side of Lance McClain. He’d never seen the guy anything other than confident and cool. This was…new. Keith felt his heart thrum in his chest.

“I was thinking,” Lance continued. “What if, we let Rom and Adam and everyone think that we were dating?”

“…what.”

“Hear me out! Look, if everyone thought we were dating, Adam would probably figure that the letter was a mistake of that you weren’t interested in him anymore. That would get him off your back without having that awkward conversation.”

“That…that could work. Maybe.”

“And, if Romelle thought we were dating, she’d get even more jealous and totally want me back.”

“Because that’s a great way to restart a relationship.” Keith deadpanned.

“My logic is perfect, Kogane. Don’t deny it. Besides, this would explain the whole kiss thing. Now no one will think you’re a like, a stalker or something.”

Keith rolled his eyes, however he couldn’t stop thinking about Lance’s plan. Could it work? Would Adam really ignore the letter if he saw that Keith was in a relationship?

It probably wasn’t a permanent solution. If anything, this would probably give Keith time to get over his embarrassment and just tell Adam the truth. That he was a kid when he wrote that damn letter and that nothing in it was true anymore. Feelings faded, crushes crumbled. Adam was still someone Keith considered a friend, even if he wasn’t dating his brother anymore.

At the very least, Lance’s plan would buy him time. Time to figure out what to say to someone he used to consider family, before it all went away.

Keith was dying to talk to Shiro about this whole mess. But his brother wasn’t there. He was off on his own adventure, figuring out his place in the world or some other over used cliché about self-discovery. Shiro had enough on his plate with school and living in a new place. He didn’t need Keith problems piled on top, and Keith needed to figure things out on his own sometimes.

Maybe Lance’s plan was a little crazy, but at that moment, it was the best option.

“I feel like I’m going to regret this.” Keith mumbled.

“Does that mean yes?” Lance asked, grinning.

“Its…a hesitant yes. But first, we need to make some ground rules.”

Lance threw his arm over Keith’s shoulders, his smile beaming. “Rule one: don’t fall for me, Kogane.”

Keith flushed. “Not a chance, McClain.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Preeeety sure their both going to break that rule lol.  
> Thanks for reading <3


	7. I know what you need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 6-Domestic/ “Did you just vocally keyboard smash?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, sweet and fluffy

Lance was lounging on the couch, petting a sleeping Kosmo while he tried to decide what to watch on Netflix. Just as he was about to begin watching another episode of Friends, a sound came from the front door.

Kosmo hopped up, his tail wagging wildly. Moments later, the door finally opened revealing a very tired looking Keith. He took a moment to lock the door before sliding to the ground with a groan. Kosmo began liking Keith’s face fervently.

“Keith? You alright over there, babe?” Lance asked. Keith answered with a muffled groan. “O-kay, I guess I should start making your favorite dinner then.”

“That’d be great. Thanks.” Keith mumbled around Kosmo. Lance smiled and headed towards the kitchen.

Luckily, Lance had stocked up on some of Keith favorite things the week before. His boyfriend job had gone from manageable to downright exhausting ever since his new boss had taken over. Every little bit of good work Keith did was quickly scooped up by his boss and spun in a way that made it look like he had come up with the idea all on his own. Keith was actually doing an impressive job not letting his temper boil over, but it was weighing on him more then he realized. Hence the comfort food.

Lance quickly filled up a pot of water, setting it on the stove and cranking up the heat. When Keith was sad, he needed pasta and Lance was always down for some chicken Alfredo. While the chicken was in the oven, Lance headed back to the living room to see that Keith hadn’t moved from his spot on the floor. Kosmo had lay down next to him and looked up at Lance with big eyes.

“Do you want something to drink?” Lance asked. Keith didn’t answer. He reached up and tugged on Lance’s pant leg. “Alright, alright, I get it.”

Lance lay down next to Keith, Kosmo wagging his tail between them. The wood floor felt cool along his back almost making him shiver. Lance stared at his boyfriend tired face. His eyes were closed, almost like he was trying to fall asleep right there on the floor. Lance raised his hand and tucked a few strands of hair behind Keith’s ear.

“If you fall asleep here, I’m eating all your food.” He teased.

Keith mumbled, his lips almost forming words but not quite getting there.

“Dude, the sound you made was basically a keyboard smash. You actually vocally keyboard smashed.”

Another grumble, but this time Keith buried his face in Kosmo’s fur. “…don’t eat my food.”

“I don’t _want_ to. But if you fall asleep, what else am I going to do with all that extra food?”

“Maybe put it in a Tupperware and save it like a normal person?”

“I don’t believe in leftovers.”

Keith snorted. “You’re so weird.”

“I know. Now c’mon! Get up. Who knows the last time we mopped.”

“Good point.” Keith scratched Kosmo behind the ear one more time before pushing himself off the floor. Lance smiled and hopped up, heading back to the kitchen. A few moments later, arms wrapped around Lance’s waist.

Keith leaned against him, resting his chin on Lance’s shoulder. “I think I’m going to quit my job.”

“Good.” Lance said instantly.

“You think so?”

“Yup. Your boss is an asshole and you should be at a place that appreciates your hard work.”

Keith hummed in agreement, holding Lance tighter. “But…what about money and stuff? Without both paychecks, rent might get pretty tight.”

“We’ll deal.” Lance said easily. “Not like we haven’t been in tough spots before.”

“I know. I just don’t want to make things harder on you.”

“Seeing you tired and unhappy all the time is hard, Keith.” Lance said honestly. “If money is the only reason you’re still at a job you hate, well, that’s not a good enough reason. Not when you’ve got someone to take care of you.”

Keith let out a long sigh. He pressed his forehead against Lance’s back and held on even tighter. Lance placed one hand on Keith’s and squeezed.

“You doing alright back there? I didn’t break you, did I?” he asked.

Keith chuckled. “Maybe a little.” He admitted. “How are you so good at just, _talking_?”

“I’m a writer, babe. Sometimes when I get really into a scene or a story, I don’t know I just can’t stop spouting wisdom.”

Keith laughed again. “Wisdom, huh? Is that what we’re calling it?”

“Hey, I have plenty of wisdom! This conversation being a perfect example.”

“And the perfect argument to that is when you were up until four in the morning finishing a draft and then thought it’d be a good idea to cook breakfast in bed.”

“That was a great idea! I was providing for you!” Lance squawked.

“You took the phrase too literally and actually brought a waffle iron in to our bed. You burned a pillowcase.”

Lance grimaced, thinking back. Honestly he was so sleep deprived that he legitimately thought it was a good idea. All the benefits of breakfast without having to actually leave the bed while you waited for it to cook. In theory, it was a great plan. In theory only.

“Okay, so you might have a point there.”

“I win.” Keith pinched Lance’s side.

“Wh—ah! No pinching! You know I’m ticklish!”

“That’s why it’s fun.”

“You’re an evil man, Keith Kogane.”

“But you’re stuck with me.”

Lance finally turned around, looping his arms around Keith’s shoulders. “And you’re stuck with me. Aren’t we unlucky?”

Keith smiled and leaned in. “Yep. Worst luck in the world.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading <3


	8. "Life, what is it but a dream?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 8 - Free Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This right here was my favorite thing to write for this challenge. I adore Alice in Wonderland. So much so, that I've actually written an original novel set in my own version of Wonderland. I love the round about way people talk and the way things always make sense, even if they shouldn't. And I just really love how creative you can be in this world, how many clever ways you can interpret the source material.   
> I don't know if there's a Wonderland/Voltron mashup. I don't know if I will actually write a full fic for this or if my interest in these characters will dwindle by the time I finish my other one. But hot damn, I do know that this was way too much fun and I would love to do more. Even if it's just another little drabble.   
> I hope you all enjoy this one, and thanks for taking the time to check it out <3

“So you’re the Cheshire Cat?” Keith asked in a deadpan tone. He really wanted to just wake up from this dream.

The tall boy sighed, his limbs dangling in midair while his torso rested on the thick tree branch. A blue striped tail hung down by his leg, the tip twitching.

“For the last time,” the boy (cat?) sighed. “Cheshire cats are a _species_ , not a title. I am _a_ Cheshire cat, but not the one you’re thinking about. That’s my Uncle.  Well, my great uncle, once removed and three times forgotten, but that’s a whole different story.”

Keith blinked. “That’s dumb. Can I wake up now?”

The cat/boy propped his head on his arms and grinned. “Wake up? You really don’t get it, do you?”

_His eyes are weird_ , Keith thought. _They’re too bright._

The boy’s eyes glowed an electric blue. His pupils were round like any ordinary human, but every once and a while they would contract and narrow like the slitted gaze of a cat. Perched on the side of his head were two pointed cat ears, with tuffs of blue fur that matched his tail. They twitched and moved like any animal’s would and Keith began to wonder when he ever got this creative. His dreams weren’t usually this vivid, nor where they this imaginative.

_Did I drink something last night?_ Keith wondered. _Or did I forget to drink something? I wish I would just wake up already. Alice in Wonderland is one of my least favorite stories. It’s all a bunch of nonsense created by a sleep deprived man on drugs._

“O-kay, I’m leaving now.” Keith spun around and headed down the closest path. A large wooden sign read ‘Pool of Tears’ with an arrow pointing to the right. Near the bottom of the sign was a piece of paper tacked on with a very annoyed looking woodpecker that had gotten its beak stuck in the wood.

The paper read:

**_4 th Tri-Annual Caucus-Race_ **

_Location: the Salty Shore at the Pool of Tears_

_Time: Whenever is good for you_

_Participates please check in with the Dodo at your earliest convenience. All creatures welcome except for cat owners*, blonde children and sentient cards (you know what you did). Winners will have the honor of having the Dodo over for dinner and giving you his best ideas on how to properly wash and dry your dishes._

_*Note: Cats are still able to compete. Including Cheshire cats._

_**Double Note: Bring swimwear._

_***Triple Note: Don’t mind the woodpecker. He’s on salary._

Keith read the paper four times before turning back to the cat.

“None of this makes sense.”

The cat laughed, showing off his sharp teeth. “You expected it to? Nothing the Dodo does make sense. He’s just trying to make himself seem more important.”

“How?”

“By having an event. Having an event and making yourself the prize makes you more important. Duh.”

Keith rolled his eyes. He turned towards the other path and began walking once again.

“I wouldn’t go that way if I were you.” The cat purred.

“And why not?”

“Because the people down there are mad, don’t you know?”

“I don’t know anything apparently. Even though this is _my_ dream.” Keith grumbled. The cat sat up.

“Oh, a dream? You think this is a dream?” His ear twitched. Keith hadn’t realized that the hair on his hair on his head wasn’t blue like his tail and ears. It was a rich brown, like the steady bark of a tree or the cool dirt in his garden. Keith missed his garden. It was such a relaxing place.

“What else could this be?” Keith asked back. “It’s not like I run into cat boys on a daily basis.”

“Cheshire Cat, not a ‘cat boy’.”

“Whatever.”

“And since were getting into the details, technically you could call me a shape shifter.”

“…wait what?”

The boy laughed. He tipped back on the branch he’d been sitting on and fell backwards towards the ground. Keith was just about to run to his aid, when he realized that the boy had completely disappeared.

“What the fuck…” Keith looked around the tree, in the tall grass and even contemplated climbing up the trunk to figure out just how the boy had vanished. Then again, it was a dream. Maybe his mind was just done imagining the cat boy for now. Or, Cheshire Cat. Shapeshifter…thing.

“I guess…I guess that was it.” Keith looked around one last time before heading down his path. He didn’t even make it two steps before something landed on his shoulders.

“SON OF A—“ Keith whipped around, twisting so fast his feet  got caught and he was tumbling to the ground. A puff of purple colored smoke temporarily crowded his vision.

“That was the funniest thing I’ve seen all days!” the boy’s voice was back but…lighter? It sounded different all the sudden. Like the boy had gone from being a teenager to a toddler in seconds. However, it wasn’t a child the shapeshifter turned into. Instead, it was a very sleek looking blue striped cat.

The cat jumped on Keith’s chest, pinning him to the ground with a wide smile and those same electric blue eyes. Keith was dumbfounded, listening to the cat laugh and chortle like a human would. Seriously, his imagination was off the walls with this dream.

“So, what do you think?” the cat asked. It sat on Keith’s chest, curling its tail around his paws.

Keith wasn’t sure what to say, so he said the first thing that popped into his head. “I didn’t know cats could smile.”

“This cat can. I can also smile when I’m a shark, if you’d like to see that.”

“Uh, no thanks. There’s no water around here for you and I also don’t want to get crushed.”

The cat’s ears twitched. “Interesting. You thought of me first. You’re something different, aren’t you Keith Kogane?”

“How…how did you know my name?”

The cat leap off Keith chest and walked towards the nearest tree. “A human never comes to Wonderland without being expected. And for the record, you are very, _very_ late.”

The cat walked behind the tree and appeared a moment later as a human again, this time with no ears and no tail. His eyes stayed the same.

“Who are you?” Keith asked.

“I’ve already told you. Several times, in fact.”

“You told me what you are, not _who_ you are. There’s a difference.”

The stranger blinked, his pupils narrowing for just a moment. A calm smile graced his lips. “You make a very good point, Keith Kogane. You can call me Lance.”

“Is that your name?”

“It’s the one I like, yes.”

Keith blinked up at the stranger, trying to find a flaw in his charming face. Keith was still absolutely certain that he was in a dream, but he had never experienced a vision where his mind created brand new people for him to interact with. Usually the most innocuous people would show up in his dreams. Like the cashier at a grocery store, the old woman at the laundromat who meticulously sorted her colors, or even sometimes people he saw passing on the street.

Keith was utterly positive that he had never seen a person like Lance before. Putting aside the tail and ears he sometimes sported, Keith had never seen someone with a smile like that. Wide and happy and yet dangerous and mischievous all at once. It almost didn’t seem possible.

“Well, are you ready?” Lance held out his hand. A blue swirl of color twisted on his palm before it faded into a more normal skin tone.

“Ready for what?” Keith asked.

“To get going? I told you already, you’re late.”

“Late? For what?”

Lance leaned down, that smile growing impossibly wider. “It’s your turn to write this story.”

“I have…no idea what that means.”

“I didn’t think you would, but you wanted an answer.” Lance shrugged.

Keith stood, ignoring Lance’s hand and brushing dirt off of his jeans. “Just, tell me where to go so I can get all this over with and wake up. I’ve got a presentation tomorrow at work.”

“That sounds horribly ordinary.”

“That life.” Keith sighed.

“Your life shouldn’t be that ordinary.”

Keith glances at Lance, surprised to see that smile turned down into a small frown. “Being ordinary isn’t a bad thing.” he murmured.

“No, you’re right. Without ordinary people, we wouldn’t be able to figure out who is extraordinary. But it doesn’t fit you. It’s like you’re wearing a hat that’s three sizes too small.”

Keith didn’t know what to say to that. He didn’t even know why he was listing to this figment of his imagination instead of trying to work his way through this dream so that he could finally wake up. Maybe it was Lance’s insistence that Keith wasn’t meant for his current life. That he was somehow misplaced. Keith never thought that he was truly extraordinary, but he _did_ always feel different. Like maybe he was made up of different things.

It was a thought that Keith pushed out of his mind as quickly as it appeared. Wasting time on dreaming, on thinking impossible things, it was sure to disappoint him in the end.

“What path should I take?” Keith asked, breaking away from the previous topic.

Lance’s Cheshire grin reappeared and he slung an arm over Keith’s shoulder. “Well, you could always go back the way you came. The Tulgey Woods are quiet lovely this time of year, but it’s better to avoid the place from the hours of 4 to 6.”

“Why—“

“—or of course you could go to the Salty Shore and join the Caucus-Race, but I must warn you, they haven’t had a winner in years.”

“Then why does the flyer say—“

“—the last path will take you to the Hare and the Hatter, although there is no hare there now. There hasn’t been for years. Though there is a girl who lives there with her uncle who has hair that’s _almost_ the same color as a hares. And she does wear it in two long pigtails that sort of look like floppy rabbit ears…”

“Didn’t you say they were mad?” Keith asked loudly, finally able to interrupt Lance’s rambling. He nodded sagely.  

“Oh, most definitely. They keep trying to tell everyone that they lived in the stars.”

“That’s impossible.”

Lance shook his head. “No, nothing’s impossible here. No one believes them because the train ride to and from the stars is notoriously bumpy. And hot. No one in their right mind would ride that train, and no one would leave the stars either. They have excellent cheese.”

Keith was about to say that nothing about that exchange made any sense, but he felt like had already said that too many times.

“Well, I think I’ll just...go off the path.” Keith turned to a spot where dozens of purple and gold flowers dotted the ground. There were spots where the flowers were squished or flattened, obviously where someone had walked not too long ago. Looking around, it seemed like the best option.

Lance grinned. “I like your attitude. Hey, why don’t we—“

Lance didn’t get to finish his sentence as a large figure suddenly barreled into the young man. Keith stood with his mouth agape as violet smoke surrounded the pair making them cough and hack. When the smoke finally cleared, Lance was sitting up, his ears and tail back and curious blue stripes climbing on his cheeks. The other figure, a large young man in a dusty white jacket, looked anxious enough to actually start crying.

“Lance! I need your help. I’ve been looking for him everywhere! I swear he was following me when we made it to the gate, and then in the woods, but all the sudden he was gone! He’s already late and now I’ve _lost_ him and now we’re all going to get crushed by the Red Queen a-and I promised Allura and now—“

“You made me poof!” Lance shouted, cutting off the other young man.

“We have more important things to worry about then you loosing grip on your form!”

“I was trying to impress him!”

“Stop showing off and help me find the human!”

“Not until you apologize! We were really hitting it off!”

“How can you flirt in a time like this?!”

“Simple! I see a cute face and I flirt. End of story!”

Keith cleared his throat. “Uh, what’s going on?”

The young man in the white coat barely turned before he spoke. “Sorry, but I have to borrow this cat.”

Lance actually hissed. “You will do no such thing! Hands off, Hunk!”

“You have to help me find the human. We’re late enough as it is!”

“Um, I think I’m the human?” Keith said tentatively. The big guy, Hunk, whipped his head around to finally get a good look at Keith.

“You…you _are_ the human! Thank _goodness_. I was sure you’d been captured by the card guard or worse.” Hunk sighed.

“Have…have those ears always been there?” Keith stared at the bright white rabbit ears on the top of Hunks head. Then it clicked. White jacket, tall rabbit ears, freaking out about being late.

_So this is what my mind conjured up for the White Rabbit_ , Keith sighed. _I would be impressed with my creativity if actually had control of what was going on._

“Huh? Oh! They came back. I was wondering when they would turn up again.” Hunk’s ears twitched like he was adjusting a satellite.

“It’s the woods.” Lance commented. “They always seem to bring out the wonderful in people.”

 “Never mind that, we’ve got to go.” Hunk stood and latched on to Keith’s hand. “I have to take you to the White Place. The Queen has been waiting for you.”

Keith blinked and looked around Hunk to meet Lance’s eyes. The shapeshifter nodded, encouraging him almost.

“Uh, okay? I don’t really know why you’re all expecting me. This is by far the weirdest dream I’ve ever had.”

“Dream or not, we’re late. Follow me.” Hunk turned back to the tree that Lance had been sitting in when they first met. He knocked on the trunk three times before stepping back. A door swung open, temporarily blinding them as bright sunlight filtered into the dark forest. “This way.”

As Hunk hurried inside to what looked like a gleaming white place, Keith hesitated. He turned, searching for a moment before his eyes fell on Lance. The cat’s eyes were glowing even brighter in the sunlight as his tail swished back and forth behind him.

“Are you coming?” Keith asked, unsure of what he wanted the answer to be.

Lance shrugged. “I could, but I’m not sure the queen would like to see me. Our last dinner together ended in a pretty big mess.”

“So then…will I see you again?”

“Do you want to?”

Keith bit his lip as he tried to work through his muddle thoughts. “Yes? I…I think so.”

“Then you will. It’s as simple as that.”

“Nothing is that simple.”

“Somethings are.” Lance stepped forward, carefully taking Keith’s hand in his own. “ _This_ is.”

“This is the weirdest dream I’ve ever had.” Keith gulped. He was trying not to focus on Lance tracing the back of his hand with a gentle claw.

“If this is a dream,” Lance smiled. “Then I hope it’s a good one.”

Lance leaned down and kissed the back of Keith’s hand. His lips were warm, sending a jolt down Keith’s spine.

“Fairfarren, Keith.”

Keith finally stepped through the entrance, his gaze never leaving those electric blue eyes for one second. As the strange door finally closed, all that was left of the woods was a rose bush with glittering white flowers in full bloom.

_Strange_ , Keith thought. He mindlessly followed Hunk through the hedge maze while the other couldn’t seem to stop talking. _Why do I feel so sad? I just met him, and he isn’t even real. Just…a dream._

Though his mind kept telling him that nothing around him was real, Keith’s heart sang a different tune. One full of magic and wonder, shouting at him to just let go and _believe_.

It would take a long while before Keith listened. However, there would be no story without a little strife. And of course, the story wouldn’t be nearly as exciting without the possibility of love.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so concludes Klance Week 2019!  
> Thanks for reading <3


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